DENVER — The question was posed innocently enough to Broncos safety Mike Adams.
The answer could easily have been construed as a diss on Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, who caught 105 passes this season despite starting only 11 of 16 games.
But it wasn’t. The intent of Adams’ answer was more to illustrate the greatness of Broncos receiver Wes Welker than it was meant to be an insult to Edelman, Welker’s replacement in New England.
“I can’t compare the two because Wes is … he’s something special,’’ Adams said. “He can jive up the ball and then speed out and have you off balance. Edelman, he doesn’t do that. He’s a one-speed guy. He doesn’t have the same ability or the quickness that Wes has in the slot. I guess that is the main difference between them. But I don’t know if they use him the same as they used Wes because they’re totally different players.”
It’s possible Adams’ quote landed on a bulletin board in Foxborough, Mass., but if it did its message is misguided.
Welker actually had 32 fewer catches than Edelman this season, though he had a career-high 10 touchdowns to Edelman’s six, but that was more a product of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning having many more options to throw the ball to than Tom Brady had in New England this season. Welker, too, played only 13 games, missing time with a concussion.
Sunday’s AFC Championship Game in Denver will mark the second time Welker has faced his former team since the Patriots curiously opted not to re-sign him after the 2012 season. He had four catches for 31 yards on Nov. 24 while Edelman had nine catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots’ 34-31 comeback win.
Welker, who caught 672 passes and 37 touchdowns in six seasons with the Patriots, said Wednesday he’s glad to have gotten that first meeting with his former team out of the way so this week it is not such a novelty.
“There was just a lot of stuff going on during that week,’’ he said. “I’m glad to have all that stuff over with and really just focus on the game and get ready for it.”
Broncos coach John Fox said Welker has been “exactly what we thought we were getting.’’
“Even people in the New England organization said that we would enjoy coaching him, and we have,’’ Fox said. “He came in, made a pretty big impact. The fact that he was voted captain and just got here is a pretty good indicator of what his peers and teammates think of him. He’s fit in exactly what we thought he would be, and that’s important.”
Manning has viewed Welker as a godsend, the ultimate outlet receiver when in trouble.
“A lot of things that a lot of people thought about Wes as an opponent all proved to be true once he joined us as a teammate,’’ Manning said. “I always assumed that he was an extremely competitive guy that loved football and a guy that loved to work, loved to practice. The way he played — I saw him many a time play Colts versus the Patriots — so to have him become a Bronco, all those things checked out.
“He’s been a fun guy to play with, I’ll say that.”
He is, however, not a fun guy to cover. Welker, in fact, might be the most difficult receiver to cover in the league out of the slot, where he lines up most of the time.
“What makes him damn near unstoppable is that man throwing him the ball [Manning],’’ Broncos safety Omar Bolden said. “They’re in sync with one another and you can tell the chemistry is there and they’re on the same page every time they step on that field. For some reason he always finds himself in a situation where he’s able to pick a hole in the defense, and any time you give that man some space in the open field he can hurt you.’’
Broncos veteran cornerback Champ Bailey, who has had his share of battles with Welker as an opponent over the years, said: “There’s not a part of his game that he’s weak at.’’