Patriots wide out Wes Welker is facing an uphill battle this offseason as he attempts to return from a knee injury that ended his 2009-10 campaign.
Adversity is nothing new to the undersized Welker, who has proved doubters wrong throughout his entire football career.
But this time it's different, as he's facing rehab from a career-threatening injury: a torn ACL and MCL — which were surgically repaired in February of this year. The doubters are back in full force, claiming Welker won't be ready for the Pats' opener on Sept. 12. As for Welker, he's yet to set a return date.
"It’s so early right now, it’s hard to put any sort of timetable on it,” he told newsok.com. "My main deal is just working hard and putting myself in the best position possible to be ready whenever I’m ready. No telling when that’s going to be or how long it’s going to take, but all I can do is just work hard.”
Welker led the NFL with 123 receptions in 2009, a season after hauling in 111 in 2008. In his first year in New England, he grabbed 112. Such production would be missed for Tom Brady and the Pats' offense this fall, but Welker is seeing signs of hope each day. He's even jogging already, just three months after surgery.
"Every day is looking a little bit brighter," Welker said. "Obviously, this isn’t something you can really just fight through. You’ve got to go in stages. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing everything possible to heal the right way and make sure you’re ready to go.
"I’m happy about where we are,” he added. "Hopefully, we can just continue to have positive days and keep moving forward.”
