Chatham: Less Welker could help offense

Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham, in an interview with the Mut & Merloni show, suggested that New England's offense may benefit in the long-run from a diminished dependency on Wes Welker at the start of the season. Chatham suggested that with the offense (under a new offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels) in a formative stage of its transition, the Patriots can benefit from a diversified approach. 

"Last year, although you got the amazing numbers out of Wes -- I still say he's the toughest cover in the NFL on the inside part of the field, and that hasn't changed from last year to this -- but they may have felt that they became a little bit dependent," said Chatham. "It's early in the season. They're playing non-division games. You're trying to figure out who you are as an offense. You've got a new offensive coordinator. I think there's some merit to pushing other people in other parts of your offense. I think there was a concerted effort in this game trying to get the ball to Brandon Lloyd. Even when they didn't have success, they would return to it.

"I think they were trying to establish something there, as much for what they'll need down the road. If you come out of the gate and Wes catches 15 balls every week, I think you're back in that old pattern."

Chatham suggested that a diminished number of snaps for Welker did not diminish his standing in the offense, and that a case can be made for pacing the 31-year-old. The slot receiver still finished the game with five receptions for a team-high 95 yards. 

"I think there was a notion that Wes in maybe 75-80 percent of the plays is maybe better than having him in 90 percent. I think you can say this about a lot of players. You get tired. That's a track meet kind of position," said Chatham. "Maybe they feel that there are some plays where Wes was just always out there because we felt like the dropoff to [Julian] Edelman was just too far. But now there are certain kinds of play types where, if the ball was not predisposed to go to Wes in that play, maybe Edelman ends up blocking. . . Maybe you don't want to attract the attention that Wes often gets from the inside if you're play call design is going to bring the ball inside to one of the two tight ends. 

"There's a myriad of ways to look at it and attack it, but at the end of the day, what you come away with is there's a bit of overanalysis here. He's still in for 75-80 percent of the plays. When he is in, he's a huge part -- he's one of the first reads in all the progressions. And he still comes away as their leading receiver. He's still going to be a big part of the offense. I don't think it's going to be an 'every week is Wes week' kind of thing, and I think that will actually lead to a little bit of a better offense."

Chatham also discussed the Patriots' inconsistency, why the team felt compelled to sign a target like Kellen Winslow Jr. with Aaron Hernandez down and the state of NFL officiating. 

To listen to the interview, visit the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For complete Patriots coverage, visit weei.com/patriots.