The Broncos should rest Wes Welker until their week four bye
“The club must demonstrate this time that it cares about its players beyond the football field.”
I had two younger brothers growing up and, while I was generally protective of the youngest, I bullied the middle one. One of my moves was to slug him hard enough in a particularly meaty spot on his thigh to create a bruise and, just as the bruise would dissipate, I would slug him there again. Eventually the erea became prone to bruising and it didn’t take as emphatic a punch to do damage. My poor brother.
Some experts claim that a person is no more prone to suffering a bruise on his brain having suffered one in the past. It’s pretty clear, however, that Broncos wide out Wes Welker is more suseptable to concussion than the average NFL player. His most recent brain bruise, sustained after catching an ill-advised pre-season pass from Peyton Manning, is the third Welker has suffered in the past ten months. There’s talk that the concussion may not be too severe and that Welker could be ready to play for the Broncos week one against the Colts. But Welker should not play any time soon.
The Broncos have been relatively cavalier about concussions over the past couple of seasons. Specifically, they have allowed Welker to play just as soon as he could possibly be cleared. This time the team should insist that the veteran rests and makes an absolute full recovery before he exposes himself to more nasty hits. Welker is a slot reciever which means that, unlike the speed guys on the outside, he almost exclusively nabs passes that expose him to big hits from corners, safeties and linebackers. Welker’s expertise is in making plays in traffic and when you play in traffic you’re going to get hit.
The club must demonstrate this time that it cares about its players beyond the football field. Wes Welker has his entire life in front of him and it’s shameful to put his furure in jeopardy needlessly. The Broncos have more offensive weapons than any other team in football. Between the Thomases, Demaryius and Julius, Emmanuel Sanders, Bubba Caldwell and the rookie Cody Latimer they can cover for the loss of Welker for a few weeks. In fact, they should allow him to sit until the week four bye if not for an entire half season.
Wes Welker will be a useful tool in the playoffs and that is when the Broncos will need all hands on deck. Meanwhile, they can win without Welker and let him clear his head. Were Wes Welker to return to action too soon and suffer another concussion it could mean the end of his career.
