Welker on fast track back to Patriots lineup

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – All offseason, as he struggled to recover from reconstructive knee surgery and resume his role as the NFL's most productive possession receiver, Wes Welker(notes) heard the voice telling him to push harder.

As anyone who has seen the New England Patriots' irrepressible Pro Bowl wideout zip through opposing defenses probably could have predicted, Welker approached his rehab like Jimmie Johnson charging down the Talledega backstretch. The voice in his head told him not to back off.

And when Welker had a rare moment of hesitation, an even more unrelenting voice was there to prod him – that of workout partner and teammate Tom Brady(notes), who had returned the previous year from an even more devastating knee injury.

"He was full force," Welker said of his quarterback Monday from Gillette Stadium, where he has surprised medical experts by participating in Patriots training-camp practices, putting him on track to start in the team's regular-season opener against the Bengals. "It was actually me having to tell Tommy, 'Hey, we need to scale it back here.'

"We'd be out there working, and he'd tell people, 'He's good. He can do that.' I ran a lot of routes, and my body and legs would be getting tired, and he'd say, 'OK, let's run a Go [route] here,' or 'One more set of metabolics.' I'd look at him like, 'Really? Are you kidding me?' "

Brady was absolutely serious, and with good reason. With apologies to 33-year-old deep threat Randy Moss(notes) – who, despite impressive numbers (83 receptions, 1,264 yards, 13 touchdowns) in 2009, provoked internal skepticism about his effort and attitude – Welker is the star quarterback's most reliable option. The former Dolphins afterthought has caught an astounding 346 passes during the past three seasons, by far the most in the NFL over that period.

Welker's presence at the Pats' organized team activities in early June and at a minicamp later that month (he participated in team agility drills and caught passes while wearing a knee brace) buoyed the mood of a club still stung by last January's 33-14 home playoff loss to the Ravens. Seeing the 5-foot-9 wideout go hard at training camp has provided even more locker-room inspiration.

"It just shows the power of the mind – that when you really want to achieve something, you can do it," said outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain(notes). "He's an intense, fiery guy. He does not want to be M.I.A. when it comes to games or even practices. To see him recover that quickly just shows his dedication, and it's hard not to be inspired."

Says Patriots owner Robert Kraft: "It's in his DNA. He's a fighter. Wes Welker symbolizes the things everyone loves about our sport. He's a guy with modest size and a modest personality who is all about hard work, heart and intensity. He's a lot like [former Pats wideout] Troy Brown(notes) … he's the exact guy you want on your team."

That's why it stung so much when Welker, four plays into the Pats' regular season finale against the Texans in Houston, caught his league-leading 123rd pass of the year (he had 1,348 receiving yards and earned his second Pro Bowl selection), planted his left leg and felt a rush of pain through his knee.

When he got to the sideline, Welker was visibly anguished.

"I remember the doctor kind of letting me know what he thought it was, once we got to the bench," he recalls. "And I knew what it probably was. I thought, 'Jeez, man.' It was kind of one of those gut-wrenching moments: The playoffs are next week and I can't play."

Welker, as suspected, had torn his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. The next few weeks weren't easy. He chose to let his MCL heal before undergoing ACL surgery in early February. He also had an operation to repair a rotator-cuff tear, an injury that had forced him to miss a pair of early-season games (making his catch total all the more remarkable).

"The first week after surgery, you can't really work," Welker says, heading into his seventh season. "You go to step out of bed to use the restroom and the blood starts rushing down. It's a painful feeling running through your whole leg. It's just kind of terrible."

The sensation became such a nuisance that, Welker says, "I did end up getting a bedpan." For those of you scoring at home: First his girlfriend had the honor of changing it; later, his mother and grandmother came to stay with him and assumed those duties.

Welker gets his right foot taped prior to practice.
(Elsa/Getty Images)

Welker spent much of his offseason in Los Angeles, rehabbing with a specialist and working out regularly at UCLA and other local fields with a group that typically included Brady, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer(notes), Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart(notes) and Seahawks wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes). If Brady was his most gung-ho cheerleader and drill sergeant, some of Welker's teammates have adopted a more measured approach.

"I understand how rehab works because I've been through it a number of times," said Patriots halfback Fred Taylor(notes), 34. "When I see other guys out there practicing, I've learned not to get too excited because there are setbacks. I've been down that road where I thought I was ready to make that stride, and something set me back. I'm glad he's working hard."

It's true that even the amazing athlete who has the unofficial record for fastest rehab from ACL surgery, recently inducted Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, couldn't sustain his comeback after having returned only 3½ months following the operation. After scoring a touchdown for the 49ers during a 1997 victory over the Broncos, the brilliant wideout took an end-zone hit from safety Steve Atwater, fell to the grass and broke his weakened left kneecap.

If Welker returns for the Pats' regular-season opener, he'll be seven months removed from surgery.

"I think he's crazy," one friend who plays for another NFL team says of Welker. "He wants a new deal, and the Patriots have [second-year wideout] Julian Edelman(notes) lined up as his replacement. If I were Wes, I wouldn't even consider coming back until October."

Like Brady, who has said he's not comfortable talking about contract issues, Welker prefers to keep such matters private.

"I've got two years left on my deal," he says. "I'm just here to play ball. I just worry about doing my job and let everything else take care of itself. I want to be out here to help my team win. I want to be out here with the fellas. There're only so many days you can sit inside and rehab. It gets kind of boring in there."

That's not a problem in Foxborough, at least as long as Brady is around to voice his approval.