QB Tom Brady said he's been throwing "quite often'' on the West Coast to a rehabbing WR Wes Welker, recovering from knee and rotator-cuff surgeries.
He made no predictions about when Welker would be ready to play, and was unspecific about how much Welker is doing now. But Welker is only three months removed from major surgery to his knee and shoulder, so it'd be a shock to see him early in the season.
"He was an undrafted free-agent and has had to work for anything he's ever gotten,'' Brady said. "So don't put anything past him.''
Brady also said he's not down over the team not adding a significant running back or wide receiver (other than the aging WR Torry Holt) to a team that needs an offensive boost with Welker's status in doubt.
"I like [2009 injured draft pick] WR Brandon Tate a lot, and WR Julian Edelman was so effective for us last year, plus having [free-agent] WR David Patten back is going to help. The two tight ends we drafted [TE Rob Gronkowski and TE Aaron Hernandez], from what I hear, are really good players,'' Brady said.
Welker is making great strides but is still expected to miss the start of the season. A knee injury is pretty serious stuff for NFL players, so it will remain to be seen if Welker bounces back to his old form. He'll probably be a mid-to-late round addition in your league with hopes the pick turns into a big-time value.
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