Mike Freeman On The Adam Jones Show: 'Letting Welker Walk Was A Mistake'
BOSTON (CBS) - The fact the Patriots did not re-sign Wes Welker in the off-season, opting to go with Danny Amendola instead, will be long debating in New England.
Welker has been Welker in Denver, while Amendola is hurting with a groin injury. Amendola had a huge Week 1 for New England, but will likely miss a few more weeks as he recovers -- a big blow to a young Patriots' receiving group that has had trouble getting on the same page as quarterback Tom Brady.
The Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show on Tuesday night, and though he agrees with most of head coach Bill Belichick's moves, he says letting Welker go was a big mistake.
"What Welker provided was stability and you knew what you were going to get with him. You knew he was going to be there and he doesn't get hurt a whole lot," said Freeman. "He's not perfect, he has drops, but overall the guys is a consistent, very good player that you know what you're going to get. Letting him walk was a mistake, but they'll recover from it because they have Tom Brady. He makes up for a lot of blemishes, but eventually this stuff will catch up to them and it's starting now."
Despite the difficulties on offense, the Patriots find themselves 2-0 on the season thanks to a very light schedule to start the season. Freeman says they are very fortunate, and will be again on Sunday when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team currently facing some inner turmoil.
Freeman also touched on the surprises and disappointments two weeks into the season, with the most impressive team so far the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs.
"It's not a total shock because Andy Reid is really good at building franchises," said Freeman. "This is perfect Andy Reid type of situation. The fact the Chiefs are 2-0 isn't a complete shock, but it's surprising because they've beat some good teams."
Among his biggest disappointments are the Steelers and Redskins, who he had as his Super Bowl picks.
