David Yudkin
Footballguy
Don't count Wes Welker out
The road back from knee and shoulder injuries has the former Heritage Hall football star is pushing the limits again.
By Jenni Carlson Oklahoman
Published: May 11, 2010
Wes Welker has doubters and detractors again. And he loves it.
The Oklahoma City native and New England receiver tore up his left knee in the Patriots’ regular-season finale last December. The ACL ripped, the MCL shredded and the doubts emerged.
"You can’t do it,” some suggested.
"You’re done,” others whispered.
For Welker, it’s nothing new. This is a guy who’s been questioned every step of the way, who’s heard every reservation and hesitation and suspicion.
"I hate hearing it, but I love hearing it,” said Welker, whose annual charity weekend in Oklahoma City kicks off Friday with the Cleats and Cocktails fundraiser. "To me, that pushes me. That drives me.”
Look where it’s taken him.
When he was a standout jack-of-all trades at Heritage Hall High, everyone said he wasn’t big enough for major-college football. But he went to Texas Tech and became one of the most exciting players in the game.
Then when he finished his Red Raider career as a record-setting receiver and returner, everyone said he couldn’t make it in the NFL. But he went to Miami as an undrafted free agent and became such a pain in Bill Belichick’s backside that the Patriots coach traded for him.
Only when Welker became one of the NFL’s most prolific and feared receivers did the doubts subside.
He caught 112 passes in his first season with the Patriots, then followed that up with 111 catches. Last season, his third in New England, was his best. Despite missing a couple games with a tweaked knee, he went into the regular-season finale against Houston with 122 catches already under his belt.
No. 123 is the one that everyone remembers.
Welker caught a short third-down pass, turned up field and looked for more yards just as he always has. But as he dodged defenders, his knee gave forward slightly, then buckled and collapsed to the inside. He went down and started writhing in pain before referees had even blown the play dead.
"I knew it was bad,” said Welker, who has granted few interviews since the injury.
He walked off the field after the play, but as he sat on the bench, everyone could see that something was terribly wrong. Tears ran down his cheeks.
"You work so hard through the off-season and through the season ... to get to the point where we were at, which is getting to the playoffs and trying to make a run,” Welker said. "All that work and everything you put into it ... all of a sudden, your year’s over.”
Without Welker, the Patriots were done, too. They lost that day to the Texans and were demolished the next week by the Ravens in an AFC Wild Card game.
Those were some dark days for Welker.
"It was a lot of things,” he said. "What’s going to happen to me? How bad is it? What is it?”
Doctors soon determined that he’d torn his ACL and his MCL. Modern medicine has improved the way that the knee’s major stabilizing tendons are fixed — Welker saw that first-hand when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady recovered from a torn knee — but the injury is still one that every athlete fears.
For a receiver who depends on his ability to juke defenders and elude tacklers, the injury is even more worrisome.
Welker had surgery on Feb. 3.
Then, just as he was starting post-surgery rehab, he had another setback. He needed shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.
Welker, like every football player, has gutted out many injuries and issues, aches and pains.
"Obviously, this isn’t something you can really just fight through,” he said. "You’ve got to go in stages. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing everything possible to heal the right way and make sure you’re ready to go.”
That’s what Welker is determined to do — work as hard to come back as he did to get there.
He works every day with his knee to increase his flexibility and improve his extension. Only three months after the surgery, he is already jogging again.
"I’m happy about where we are,” he said. "Hopefully, we can just continue to have positive days and keep moving forward.”
Some of his doubters have suggested there’s no way he will be ready for the Patriots’ season opener on Sept. 12.
Welker isn’t ready to target a date for his return.
"It’s so early right now, it’s hard to put any sort of timetable on it,” he said. "My main deal is just working hard and putting myself in the best position possible to be ready whenever I’m ready. No telling when that’s going to be or how long it’s going to take, but all I can do is just work hard.”
That’s all he’s ever done. Bust his tail. Push his limits. And in the process, he’s proven all his doubters wrong.
No reason to think this will be any different.
"Every day,” Welker said, "is looking a little bit brighter.”
The road back from knee and shoulder injuries has the former Heritage Hall football star is pushing the limits again.
By Jenni Carlson Oklahoman
Published: May 11, 2010
Wes Welker has doubters and detractors again. And he loves it.
The Oklahoma City native and New England receiver tore up his left knee in the Patriots’ regular-season finale last December. The ACL ripped, the MCL shredded and the doubts emerged.
"You can’t do it,” some suggested.
"You’re done,” others whispered.
For Welker, it’s nothing new. This is a guy who’s been questioned every step of the way, who’s heard every reservation and hesitation and suspicion.
"I hate hearing it, but I love hearing it,” said Welker, whose annual charity weekend in Oklahoma City kicks off Friday with the Cleats and Cocktails fundraiser. "To me, that pushes me. That drives me.”
Look where it’s taken him.
When he was a standout jack-of-all trades at Heritage Hall High, everyone said he wasn’t big enough for major-college football. But he went to Texas Tech and became one of the most exciting players in the game.
Then when he finished his Red Raider career as a record-setting receiver and returner, everyone said he couldn’t make it in the NFL. But he went to Miami as an undrafted free agent and became such a pain in Bill Belichick’s backside that the Patriots coach traded for him.
Only when Welker became one of the NFL’s most prolific and feared receivers did the doubts subside.
He caught 112 passes in his first season with the Patriots, then followed that up with 111 catches. Last season, his third in New England, was his best. Despite missing a couple games with a tweaked knee, he went into the regular-season finale against Houston with 122 catches already under his belt.
No. 123 is the one that everyone remembers.
Welker caught a short third-down pass, turned up field and looked for more yards just as he always has. But as he dodged defenders, his knee gave forward slightly, then buckled and collapsed to the inside. He went down and started writhing in pain before referees had even blown the play dead.
"I knew it was bad,” said Welker, who has granted few interviews since the injury.
He walked off the field after the play, but as he sat on the bench, everyone could see that something was terribly wrong. Tears ran down his cheeks.
"You work so hard through the off-season and through the season ... to get to the point where we were at, which is getting to the playoffs and trying to make a run,” Welker said. "All that work and everything you put into it ... all of a sudden, your year’s over.”
Without Welker, the Patriots were done, too. They lost that day to the Texans and were demolished the next week by the Ravens in an AFC Wild Card game.
Those were some dark days for Welker.
"It was a lot of things,” he said. "What’s going to happen to me? How bad is it? What is it?”
Doctors soon determined that he’d torn his ACL and his MCL. Modern medicine has improved the way that the knee’s major stabilizing tendons are fixed — Welker saw that first-hand when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady recovered from a torn knee — but the injury is still one that every athlete fears.
For a receiver who depends on his ability to juke defenders and elude tacklers, the injury is even more worrisome.
Welker had surgery on Feb. 3.
Then, just as he was starting post-surgery rehab, he had another setback. He needed shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.
Welker, like every football player, has gutted out many injuries and issues, aches and pains.
"Obviously, this isn’t something you can really just fight through,” he said. "You’ve got to go in stages. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing everything possible to heal the right way and make sure you’re ready to go.”
That’s what Welker is determined to do — work as hard to come back as he did to get there.
He works every day with his knee to increase his flexibility and improve his extension. Only three months after the surgery, he is already jogging again.
"I’m happy about where we are,” he said. "Hopefully, we can just continue to have positive days and keep moving forward.”
Some of his doubters have suggested there’s no way he will be ready for the Patriots’ season opener on Sept. 12.
Welker isn’t ready to target a date for his return.
"It’s so early right now, it’s hard to put any sort of timetable on it,” he said. "My main deal is just working hard and putting myself in the best position possible to be ready whenever I’m ready. No telling when that’s going to be or how long it’s going to take, but all I can do is just work hard.”
That’s all he’s ever done. Bust his tail. Push his limits. And in the process, he’s proven all his doubters wrong.
No reason to think this will be any different.
"Every day,” Welker said, "is looking a little bit brighter.”
I also recently tore both my ACL and LCL. My surgeon told me that MCLs/LCLs don't require surgery; they don't tear, rather they fray and heal up naturally.
