Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › reporters on Welker
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November 10, 2015 at 10:55 pm #33928
znModeratorRams Practice Report: Integrating Welker Into the Offense
Myles Simmons
Fresh off signing as a free agent on Monday, Wes Welker participated in his first practice with St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon. The veteran wideout said after the session he was glad to receive another opportunity to continue his career.
“I just love playing — I love playing ball,” Welker said. “I feel like I can still play at a really high level. I went into this offseason not knowing what I was going to do, started training, and really saw that I still had it. That made me really want to play and made me want to get out there — go out there, and contribute, and help out. And that’s what I hope to do.”
After catching passes from Tom Brady with the Patriots, Welker spent the last two years with Peyton Manning and the Broncos. But the 34-year-old receiver didn’t find the right fit for another team before the season started. Plus, his family had expanded, as his wife had twins a few months ago.
“It’s tough, obviously,” Welker said of being away from his family. “I get pictures from my wife and get pictures a lot — trying to stay connected as much as possible. It’s a couple months and she knows my aspirations to play, and she knows I love playing ball. She’s very supportive of me.”
With the mutual interest from Welker and St. Louis, the wide receiver brought up a few reasons as to why the Rams are a good fit for him — including quarterback Nick Foles.
“Obviously they have a great team, they have a great running back, and great defense,” Welker said. “Nick is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the league, for sure. I was excited about the opportunity to get with the Rams.”
Now the wideout’s brought his vast experience to a club that can use it. He immediately becomes the oldest player on the roster — by a few years at that.
“That’s the first time that’s happened,” Welker said. “I’m used to having Peyton (Manning) or someone else in the locker room that makes me feel young.
“But I feel like I’m young at heart,” Welker continued. “That’s the way I like to play, and practice, and the attitude I like to bring to the game. I’ve probably wised up a little bit through the years. I know how to have fun and enjoy myself on the field.”
Like many, running back Todd Gurley watched the wideout make plenty of plays growing up. And coincidentally, Gurley said he’d been talking about Welker with fellow RBs Benny Cunningham and Chase Reynolds last week.
“Next thing you know, Chase sent the text and said, ‘Hey Benny, Wes Welker is here.’ I thought he was lying,” Gurley said. “I didn’t realize he’d been in the league that long. It’s crazy, but he has had some success around the league and we’re happy to add him.”
One of the most important skills Welker brings to the Rams is his past success on third down. Over the course of his career, 79 percent of the passes Welker’s caught in the situation have resulted in first downs. The Rams’ struggles on third down this season are well documented, and head coach Jeff Fisher said Tuesday he’s expecting Welker’s presence to help.
“You know what, I’ll anticipate if he does play and he converts the first down, they’ll probably start chanting ‘Welker’ rather than ‘Gurley,’” Fisher joked. “That’s what he’s done — he moves chains. He just moves the chains. It’s just a matter of he and Nick getting on the same page here in a short period of time. We’ll just see what happens.”
That said, it’s unfair to assume Welker will alleviate all of the third-down issues. And Welker even tempered some of those expectations after practice.
“I don’t see myself as being the solution to all that,” Welker said. “I’m just here trying to learn the offense and do anything I can to help out.”
In order to possibly do so this week, Welker said he’s been spending extra time with the coaches and Foles to get up to speed. One of the factors that may aid in that endeavor is the offense implementing packages for him. Fisher said that’s the easiest way for a player entering a team midseason to get on the field.
“You don’t come in say, ‘Hey, unless you learn the whole offense, you’re not going to play,’” Fisher said. “We package things for most everybody. So, we’ll have a package for him and we’ll just see how comfortable he is. But, I mean, he got some good work out here today.”
Fisher also said that just having Welker’s presence on the field can open more things up on the offense for players like Tavon Austin.
“If [Welker’s] able to play, which we’re hopeful that he is, now you have ‘11’ running around there,” Fisher said. “We all know if [Austin] gets the ball in his hands, he can go the distance. Now, you have another guy that you’ve got to contend with that’s going to get you the first down.”
And so as Welker continues to acclimate himself to his new environment, he’s taking a wait-and-see approach for what he should be able to bring to the Rams.
“In the past, I’ve just been trying to be a tough, smart football player out there on the field,” Welker said. “I’ll see if I can still keep on doing that. It’s early to see, so we’ll just see how it plays out.”
November 10, 2015 at 10:56 pm #33929znModeratorWes Welker can help Rams offense, but it’s best to manage expectations
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — It took a four-game suspension to Stedman Bailey for it to happen, but the St. Louis Rams did what many fans had been clamoring for Monday when they signed a veteran wide receiver to help a floundering passing game.
That veteran is Wes Welker, the 34-year-old slot specialist with 890 career receptions to his name.
Welker signed early Monday evening and promptly began the process of getting acclimated to the offense. Before he is fully thrown into the mix, let’s take a look at what to expect and what not to expect:
1. He’s not an all-encompassing solution for the passing game: Because of Welker’s name value and history of production, especially relative to the Rams’ current group of receivers, it’s easy say he’s an upgrade over what they already have. To be sure, Welker is instantly the most accomplished receiver on the roster. It’s really not even close: He has played in three Super Bowls and has been selected to five Pro Bowls. But Welker’s age and recent injury history had him on the free-agent market this late in the season for a reason. It’s best to calibrate expectations at this point in his career. The Rams’ passing game simply isn’t very good right now, and Welker isn’t a panacea.
2. He can help the awful third-down conversion rate: Welker could still give the Rams at least an incremental improvement in the passing game. When he’s ready to go, Welker will play in the slot. He’s a good route-runner with quickness, good hands and a long history of knowing where the first-down marker is. Of his 890 receptions, 515 have gone for first downs. That ranks seventh in the NFL among active receivers. That knack for knowing how to move the chains could be especially useful for the Rams, who sit last in the NFL in converting third downs at 23.8 percent.
3. Tavon Austin should benefit from his presence: In his prime, Welker was a multi-purpose threat who returned punts and was used in multiple ways. While he never had Austin’s speed, Welker does have the knowledge and experience to be a positive influence. Austin has improved this season and his overall production is up, but having Welker around to teach him some nuances of route-running should be good for Austin.
4. The Rams are OK with his health: Between Nov. 17, 2013, and Aug. 23, 2014, Welker suffered three concussions. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams felt comfortable with Welker’s health after he went through a workout and had the necessary physicals before signing.
5. He might not play this week: Welker just arrived in St. Louis and hasn’t played in the first nine weeks. He has a new playbook to learn and though his legs are fresh, it’s possible he won’t be ready to play right out of the chute. The Rams have undrafted rookie Bradley Marquez ready to step into Bailey’s special teams role, but he could also take some more snaps on offense. To get Welker ready, the Rams will likely pare down what they ask him to learn right away. If he takes well to that, he could play against Chicago. If he doesn’t, it’s a safe bet he’ll be good to go the next week against Baltimore.
November 11, 2015 at 2:07 am #33936znModeratorRams hope Welker can help move the chains
Jim Thomas
With his team converting third-down plays at a historically low rate, coach Jeff Fisher has a vision of how he hopes things unfold Sunday against visiting Chicago.
“If he does play and he converts the first down, they’ll probably start chanting ‘Welker’ rather than ‘Gurley,’ ” Fisher quipped.
If that’s the case, Todd Gurley says his feelings won’t be hurt.
“No, I’ll be chanting right there with them,” the Rams running back said, smiling.
Just the other day, Gurley and fellow Rams running back Benny Cunningham were shooting the breeze when Welker’s name came up.
“We were like, ‘Man, where’s Wes Welker at?’ ” Gurley recalled. “And then next thing you know, Chase (Reynolds) sent a text: ‘Hey, Wes Welker’s in here.’ ”
What ever happened to Wes Welker?
After spending half a season out of football, the veteran wide receiver has signed with the Rams. Fisher and everybody else at Rams Park hopes he can be the elixir to their ailing third-down offense.
Welker, who will wear jersey No. 19 and has taken over Danny Amendola’s old locker stall, shied away from calling himself the team’s third-down savior.
“I don’t see myself as being the solution to all of that, or anything like that,” he told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m just here trying to learn the offense, and trying to contribute any way I can.”
But as Fisher mentioned Monday in announcing the signing, Welker has made a career out of moving the chains, be it at Miami, New England, or most recently, Denver. Filling the roster spot created by Stedman Bailey’s four-game NFL drug suspension, Welker does have the skill set to improve on the Ram’s league-worst 23.8 percent conversion rate on third down (24 of 101).
“He’s going to get open, he’s going to make the catch, he’s going to get the first down,” Fisher said. “He’s going to get down, get up, and we’ll keep the chains moving. That’s kind of what we’re looking for.”
Fisher feels Welker’s presence on the field should only make Tavon Austin that much more effective.
“We all know if (Austin) gets the ball in his hands, he can go the distance,” Fisher said. “Now, you have another guy that you’ve got to contend with that’s going to get you the first down.”
Even with a veteran of 11 NFL seasons such as Welker, the question is when will he have enough of a grasp of the offense to take the field?
“Obviously, terminology is a little bit different,” Welker said. “But there’s a lot of similarities to some things that I’ve done in the past. I’m really just trying to get on the same page of how the coaches want me to do it here and everything like that.”
Welker already has spent extra time with Rams coaches as well as quarterback Nick Foles, taking a cram course on the playbook. Welker also spent extra time on the field with Foles following Tuesday’s practice. (Several other Rams receivers also stayed late.)
Even for a savvy vet such as Welker, there’s no way he can learn an entire offense in just one week. So part of the challenge for the Rams coaching staff, with input from Welker and Foles, is getting him familiar with enough plays to be game-ready in even a limited role.
“We package,” Fisher said. “We package things for most everybody. So we’ll have a package for him, and we’ll just see how comfortable he is.”
The passing game concepts are the same. After all, there are only so many types of passing routes you can run in football. It’s all about learning the language of this offense, as well as getting a basic chemistry established with Foles.
As of Tuesday, neither Fisher nor Welker was ready to say unequivocally that Welker would play against Chicago.
“I have no idea about that,” Welker said. “I still have a long ways to go and a lot of work to do and a lot of studying to do. We’ll see what Coach Fisher thinks at the end of the week.”
There are concerns, obviously, about Welker’s health considering his past concussion problems. And at age 34 — four years older than anyone else on the current Rams roster — Welker has some observers wondering if he still has the quickness and separation skills to be a factor.
Welker, who has been training in Florida, said he has no concerns concussion-wise about taking the field again.
“Not at all,” he said. “I’ve been cleared by the doctors and everything else. Obviously I’m not going to try and look for contact and everything like that, but I’m not thinking about it either.
“I’m out there playing hard and playing the way I need to play to be successful. You start second-guessing yourself out there and that’s when you get in trouble.”
As for his skill set, he made a good impression Tuesday on nickel back Lamarcus Joyner.
“From the looks of things today on the field, he still looks like he can move,” Joyner said. “He’s very quick. Very shifty. Same old Wes Welker you see on ESPN every Sunday from the past.”
With 890 career receptions, five 1,000-yard seasons, five Pro Bowls, and three Super Bowls to his credit, Welker had his new teammates’ respect from the moment he walked into the locker room.
“He has more knowledge than all of us have, because he’s been somewhere none of us has ever been in his career,” tight end Jared Cook said, referring to Welker’s Super Bowl experience. “So he definitely can teach us a lot of stuff. It’s just about if he wants to share, and then who wants to listen. But I’m all ears, I’ll tell you that.”
“It’s cool having a veteran here,” tight end Lance Kendricks added. “We haven’t had like an older guy, an older veteran I should say, come in in a while. It’s always good to have leadership, somebody who’s won championships, somebody who’s been there before who can teach.”
And somebody who can convert some third downs.
November 11, 2015 at 4:19 am #33940znModeratorLook Who’s Back
Peter King
Desperate for help on third down, the Rams signed Wes Welker despite a recent history of concussions. Is the move worth the risk for the Rams and for Welker?
In the end, Wes Welker and the St. Louis Rams were wed in a marriage of convenience for both on Monday. St. Louis is last in the NFL in third-down conversion rate (23.8%), and last by a lot—the Rams aren’t within five percentage points of any other team. And Welker, with the Patriots and Broncos over the past eight years, caught 794 passes, mostly from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and a slew of them on third down.
But Welker knows, and the Rams know, that they will be criticized for the signing because of Welker’s concussion history. He has had no fewer than six in the NFL, including three in a nine-month span. He played a healthy 2014 season with the Broncos. Still, many teams shied away from Welker because of the league’s fears over the concussion issue—at least—and Welker went to several experts in the field over the past few months to get cleared. That’s how desperate he was to continue playing. In April, he told longtime Broncos beat man Mike Klis that he had been examined by a doctor on the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee, and the tests came back confirming that he was well enough to play. “My cognitive tests were good,” Welker told Klis. “All kinds of tests came out good.”
On Monday night, Rams GM Les Snead would not discuss anything about Welker’s concussion history because of medical privacy issues. “It’s a very sensitive subject in our league right now, obviously,” Snead said from St. Louis. “The awareness about [concussions] in this league is at an all time high, and should be. I’ll keep all those details in-house. But that was a major part of our homework on this. Wes has talked to those experts in the medical profession. The physical [examination] was a very important part of this.”
Those who have not examined Welker or his medical records are the ones who will criticize the signing, and criticize Welker for not retiring. It’s understandable. Even the best neurologists cannot tell Welker what another concussion would do to his life 10, 20, 30 years from now. Kurt Warner sat because very smart doctors couldn’t predict the future for him, and he wasn’t willing to risk the health of his brain any longer. This is Welker’s choice.
As for the football part of it: The Rams worked out Welker recently, felt he still had the athleticism and ability to be quick in and out of cuts, and knew they were losing wideout Stedman Bailey to a four-game suspension beginning this week. They are the youngest team in football, and Snead and coach Jeff Fisher saw signing Welker as a way to bring a veteran presence, education and experience into a room of young receivers needing a mentor.
“This guy has done nothing but move the chains for two Hall of Famers for the past eight years,” Snead said. “He knows how to get open. But it’s also a way for our players to see the passion he has and to help them become better players and people, just by watching how Wes works and by being around a veteran who’s done so many good things.”November 11, 2015 at 9:49 am #33941znModeratorLook Who’s Back
Peter King
Desperate for help on third down, the Rams signed Wes Welker despite a recent history of concussions. Is the move worth the risk for the Rams and for Welker?
IMO, King’s is the best article on this.
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November 11, 2015 at 10:32 am #33944
ZooeyModeratorYes, well, if Welker makes two catches a game, he will double the number of third downs the Rams convert per game.
November 11, 2015 at 10:49 am #33945
nittany ramModeratorI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
November 11, 2015 at 3:25 pm #33980
wvParticipantI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
So you wouldnt sacrifice your brain
for the Rams?And you call yourself a fan ?
w
vNovember 11, 2015 at 3:32 pm #33981
InvaderRamModeratorI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
yeah.
November 11, 2015 at 3:41 pm #33983wvParticipantI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
yeah.
Well, i think he wanted to be
able to say, he played with three
Hall of Fame Quarterbacks.w
vNovember 11, 2015 at 5:44 pm #33993InvaderRamModeratorI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
yeah.
Well, i think he wanted to be
able to say, he played with three
Hall of Fame Quarterbacks.w
vdon’t be silly. manning’s no hall of famer…
November 11, 2015 at 11:04 pm #34006ZooeyModeratorI wouldn’t do it if I had his concussion history.
So you wouldnt sacrifice your brain
for the Rams?And you call yourself a fan ?
w
vThat was in poor taste, wv, considering Nitwitany has already sacrificed his brain for something else.
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