ShareThisFOXBORO, Mass. - New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker is ready to take a trip to Revis Island when he returns to the postseason Sunday against the New York Jets in a second-round AFC playoff matchup at Gillette Stadium.
With Randy Moss gone, Welker fully expects Jets Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis to shadow him everywhere he goes Sunday. Revis certainly lined up across from Welker a lot more in their Dec. 6 meeting than he did in Week Two, when Moss was on the roster.
"It was quite a bit, especially any time they did any sort of man coverages and things like that," Welker said of Revis' coverage in the December game. "It seemed to be a lot more, so you've got to be ready for everything and study film on everybody, and make sure you are definitely ready for him, and you've got to bring it every play because he is a great player. He's got great feet, he moves around well and (he) does some good things out there."
Welker caught seven passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in Week 13 against the Jets, but most of his production came against zone coverage, not against Revis.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime type corner and that's a fact," Jets coach Rex Ryan said of Revis. "He is, in my opinion, the best corner in football. It's not even close."
In the last two months, Revis held Detroit's Calvin Johnson to one catch for 13 yards; Cincinnati's Terrell Owens to three catches for 17 yards; Miami's Davone Bess to one catch for six yards; Pittsburgh's Hines Ward to two catches for 34 yards; and Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne to one catch for one yard.
"I think he is very patient," Welker said of Revis. "He has good feet. He moves around really well. He understands the game. He gets his hands on you pretty well. (He) understands what you're trying to do to him, so he definitely is a tough guy to really set up and get open against. You've got to be on top of your game and make sure that you're doing everything possible to get open."
Welker has been Tom Brady's go-to receiver ever since he joined the team in 2007. Since then, nobody has caught more passes than Welker, who has 432 receptions for 4,536 yards and 22 touchdowns in a Patriots uniform.
He led the Patriots in receptions (86) and receiving yards (848), and finished second on the team in receiving touchdowns (7) this season to put an exclamation point on his remarkable comeback from offseason knee surgery and earned his third consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl.
His 2010 season appeared to be in jeopardy after he suffered a devastating left-knee injury in New England's 2009 regular-season finale in Houston.
He doesn't talk much about the injury anymore or the six days a week of grueling rehab that he went through after he happened to return to the team well ahead of schedule.
"I just wanted to get back out there with my teammates and go out there and play ball and go out there and do what I love to do," said Welker. "So, being able to do that and get back as early as possible was a key thing for me and (I'm) just trying to keep it going..."
Welker's hard work this offseason did not go unnoticed by his teammates. In December, Welker was given the Ed Block Courage Award by his teammates. The annual award is given to a player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration.
"Being able to come back from the offseason that I had and last season, the way it ended, it was definitely an honor, and I'm definitely happy to have my name on the Ed Block Courage Award," Welker said.
He says he's fully healed from his surgery, but because of what happened to him last year -- being forced to miss New England's 34-14 playoff loss to Baltimore -- Welker is not taking this year's playoff experience for granted.
"(I'm) definitely excited about getting the opportunity to go out there and have some fun and get in the playoff atmosphere. This is what it's all about. This is where you want to get to. This being my seventh year in the league now, and understanding what this means and how rare of an opportunity it is -- (we've) got to make sure we take full advantage of it."
Welker was in just as much pain mentally as he was physically last year during the playoffs, watching the Patriots lose to Baltimore from team owner Robert Kraft's luxury box.
"It was tough," said Welker. "It was definitely hard to watch, especially the way the game went. I am definitely excited to be out there, and these are the types of games you play for. This is what you spend all year getting ready for and you want to go out there and put your best foot forward."
This year, Welker is ready to help the Patriots beat the Jets in what will be the third meeting of the season between the two teams. The winner will advance to the AFC Championship Game.
(Contact Robert Lee at roblee(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The Providence Journal
