By Jay Skurski
The Boston Herald's Karen Guregian joined me this week to break down the Patriots, including their stuggles along the offensive line, what's up with Wes Welker and how Amherst's own Rob Gronkowski has looked. A couple highlights are below, while the complete audio of Guregian's interview is at the bottom.
Q: What has been going on with Wes Welker?
A: “I think the first week when he didn’t get his usual playing time, I mean eyebrows were raised a little bit, but it wasn’t that big of deal. You know, it’s the first game. He didn’t have a lot of time in the preseason, so there was a little leeway there. But the second game for sure, I mean he didn’t start. He barely played in the first quarter, so we knew something was definitely different. But then Aaron Hernandez got hurt, so Welker’s snaps of course went up because it was almost by force they had to use him. But, there seems to be a change afoot. Julian Edelman was getting more time and the explanation is Edelman had earned the time based on his preseason, based on his training camp, but then you scratch your head because Welker’s been the leading receiver in the NFL for the past five years, an All-Pro. It just on a lot of levels didn’t make sense. With Hernandez’s injury, however, the Pats almost by force – whether they were changing the philosophy – have had to go back to Welker. Plus, again, he’s Brady’s comfort food. He’s his go-to guy, one of his go-to guys.”
Q: How has Rob Gronkowski looked?
A: “He’s coming off ankle surgery. It was a little slow progression coming back from that and getting up to speed, but I think a lot of what we’re seeing with him is two-fold. No. 1, their offensive line has been pretty bad and they’ve had to keep him in to block, or help out blocking, a lot more than they did last year. So he’s blocking a lot more, so that’s limiting his chances to catch the football. And No. 2, I think defenses are paying a lot more attention to him now. He’s the No. 1 guy they’re trying to eliminate or take out. In the Baltimore game when he did go out, they paid a lot more attention to him, especially in the red zone.”
Guregian also touches on the Patriots' defense, and how quarterback Tom Brady has looked through the first three weeks.
Boston Herald's Karen Guregian on the Patriots
