Wes Welker: Not the Perfect Patriot
First, let me say that Wes Welker is one of my favorite players albeit on one of my least favorite teams. Despite disliking the Patriots in general, there are some things about the Patriots that I admire including the organization's ability to play as a team and to focus on the task at hand. In many ways, Wes Welker embodies the positives I see in the Pats.
However, Welker has allowed himself to call out former teammate Asante Samuel. Welker said "Asante's a great player, so it hurts not to have a guy like that. But then again, it's part of the business of the game. He chose money over championships, and that's the way it goes sometimes."
I heard Marcellus Wiley make a good point on NFL Live today. He mentioned that Shannon Sharpe would say that you play for 2 M's: money and memories. The one that you can control is money. As Wiley asked, how many players wanted to sign with the Giants last off-season in order to win a Super Bowl? Granted, Samuel would likely be better positioned to win a championship in New England. But those championships are not guaranteed as we saw last season.
If Samuel went to Oakland or Miami or Atlanta for the money, then it's just the money. With the off-season moves that Eagles have made combined with McNabb's resurgence at the end of the season in 2007, the Eagles are poised to exceed early expectations in 2008. Couple that with the fact that the Eagles play in the weaker conference (which includes the SB Champs), Samuel's going after both M's.
Although I disagree a little with Welker's assertion about Samuel's pursuit of money over memories, the fact that he called out a former teammate has caused my opinion of one of favorite players (regardless of team) to drop a notch.