After the game ended I avoided exposing myself to sports news for a few days. So it wasn’t until about Wednesday that I realized people were blaming Wes Welker for the loss. That’s crazy to me. As the play in question was happening, I though to myself that the throw was too high, and it never crossed my mind again. Welker is a tiny guy. I’ve met him a couple times, and he’s not an inch over 5’7”. And even though he says he’s made that play hundreds of times, I don’t think I’ve EVER seen him have to jump for a pass before. He catches low balls in traffic over the middle, maybe the best I’ve ever seen at that. But he’s not Calvin Johnson; you can’t expect him to also be the guy who makes running twisting leaping grabs down field.
And that was just one of any number of plays that could have altered the outcome of the game had they happened differently. In my opinion, the most significant thing was the fact that the Giants fumbled 3 times, but NONE for turnovers (one was taken away by a penalty, and the other two they recovered themselves). And that’s how sports works. You can’t explain everything. It’s random. It’s insane to think that because Brady/Belichik won the first three Superbowls they got to, that they are somehow a failure for losing the last two. The fact that they have made it there 5 out of a possible 10 years is unbelievable, and defies all odds to begin with.
Which brings me to my main point: as a Patriots fan, I think it’s completely reasonable to be sad and disappointed about the loss. But to be angry and try to assess blame seems totally illogical and unfair.
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About Mark Vandeusen