This post is about the hit by Welker on Talib, and to a lesser degree, about the people comparing the two hits in question. Anyone who compares those two plays (Edelman-Cromartie) and (Welker-Talib) is only one of two things: misinformed/wrong, deliberately ignorant/wrong.
And there are PLENTY of you on this thread who are wrong on this. This is not an attack on you personally, so don't take it that way.
It should have been a penalty on Welker, but I am fine with people who say it was a close call and could have been missed. Given that there is an official looking DIRECTLY at all three players in question, it is more a statement of a case of poor officiating than being too close to call. As you can see from the picture below, it isn't even close. Lots of people saying it is a clean block...well, it isn't. You can make the case that Welker just mis-timed his hit and didn't mean to make a dirty hit. I am fine with that. I like Wes and doubt he would deliberately try to hurt another player. But plenty of good quality players have made what might be classified as "dirty" hits by accident, and I am sympathetic to that. It happens in the heat of things, and people who understand the sport know that. Wes Welker doesn't have a history of that, so I take that approach here. I won't call Welker dirty, because I don't think he is.
But if anyone continues to INSIST that it was a clean block by Welker, they are only one of two things: misinformed/wrong, deliberately ignorant/wrong. If you disagree, please feel free to tell me in factual terms why. I will listen.
Here is a shot of the play in question:
In the image above, the ball is still several feet from the receiver, and Welker is already in FULL contact with Talib. Note the official who has a bird's-eye view of the play. Granted, he is at least 20-25 yards away, but his view is unobstructed and his field of view, even if he was completely focused on the receiver catching the ball, would have to have included Welker and Talib.
It is at worst case a bad non-call on a play by a hard-nosed player on a type of play that has been called dirty. I don't think it was dirty.
Just for the people who want to compare the hit (that should have been a penalty on Welker) including the dummy on the broadcast who made the same comparison, here is a screen shot of the play by Edelman to actually BLOCK Rogers-Cromartie, and is not only a CLEAN play, but is an excellent play:
One can see Collie has the ball and is moving fast upfield, and Edelman and Rogers-Cromartie are about 10-15 yards apart.
I am fine with many of you who have a passionate dislike of the Patriots in general, and Bill Belichick in particular. That is your opinion and you can sound of all you want. But I would like some of you who insist it was a "clean block" by Welker, or who maintain it was no different from the clean block that Edelman placed on Rogers-Cromartie to read this and let me know what you think of the two plays in this light. I really am interested.