The answer is simple: He does a whole lot of studying.
"[It's about] knowing where defenders are, knowing which way to turn, when I need to get up field, and when I have a little more room to do something else with it," the slot receiver told the Boston Herald. "The main thing is securing the ball, getting it up the field and trying to make something happen."
Perhaps that explains why Welker leads the league in yards after the catch (1,684) over the past two-plus seasons. He also leads the NFL in catches with 46, despite the fact that he missed two games with an injury, and his 96.8 yards receiving yards per game are tops in the league.
Welker told the Herald his extensive film work has helped him discover holes in defenses he didn't realize were there.
"I didn't learn about coverages and understand them [my first couple of years in the league]," he said. "I knew what they were on film, but I never understood what they were doing on the field."
Would Welker be this good if he didn't have a quarterback like Brady? Maybe — but Brady definitely makes his job a whole lot easier.
"Obviously, he's going to put it where I need to turn," Welker said. "He can see what's behind me. He's a really good quarterback. We understand what each other is thinking against different coverages, how he wants me to run the routes and where he's going to be putting the ball. It all goes hand in hand."
