Wes Welker

In the playoff loss to the New York Jets, Welker was benched for the teams' first offensive series for making a series of foot references in a press conference that took shots at a foot fetish of Jets' coach Rex Ryan.

In the Patriots' 38–24 Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins, Welker caught a 99–yard pass from Tom Brady. Tying the NFL record for longest play from scrimmage, it was the 12th such play in NFL history, and the first for the Patriots. The play accounted for the majority of Welker's yards in an 8-catch effort for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

In Week 3, in the Patriots' 34–31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Welker had 16 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns. In so doing, he tied wide receiver Troy Brown's franchise record of 16 receptions in a single game and broke Terry Glenn's franchise record of 214 yards, set in 1999. The game also marked Welker's 64th consecutive regular-season game with a reception (i.e., in every game he has played as a Patriot), breaking tight end Ben Coates' record of 63 games (set 1992 to 1996). It was Welker's second game with at least 15 receptions, a feat equaled only by Brandon Marshall with the Denver Broncos. In Week 5, in the Patriots' win over the Jets, Welker caught five passes for 124 yards, including a 73-yard catch-and-run in which Welker beat Eric Smith and was chased down by Darrelle Revis at the 8-yard line. Read Less