There is a size difference between Welker and Aqib. If I was about to collide with a man that much bigger than me I think I would get as low as I could.
I agree. I don’t fault Welker for lining him up as he did. I don’t think it was dirty. And I am sure Welker didn’t mean to injure him, either.
If the receiver had caught the ball and then Welker hit him, we would be lauding it as an example of good downfield blocking. It was close enough that I think Welker just mis-timed it.
As I said, I have watched him play quite often, and it is something we have always loved about his play.
Belichick was off base on this, IMO.
New England has some good players in their secondary, but they still aren’t good enough not to have a player that serves as the anchor. If they have an anchor, they could be exceptional (with a little better pass rush) but without an anchor this year, they were average at best. They do have some very good young guys, but not good enough to stand on their own.