For his love of the game
A year after retiring as player, ‘coach’ Wes Welker decides he can’t stay away.
If Wes Welker had sent his impressive résumé as an NFL receiver to every team, he probably would have received a lot of offers before making a decision on where to begin his coaching career.
What head coach wouldn’t have been enticed to add Welker, the best slot receiver in NFL history, to his coaching staff ? Three Super Bowls, five Pro Bowls, five seasons with at least 111 receptions and five with at least 1,165 yards.
Not too shabby for a player who was undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2004, was cut by San Diego after his first training camp and started only three games in his first three seasons with Miami, where he was primarily known as a dynamic return specialist.
But Welker reached out to his former New England coach, Bill O’Brien, who offered him an entry-level position with the Texans. Welker has been assisting with receivers, working with returners, breaking down tape and sometimes serving as an official during practice.
“Coach O’Brien and I were together back in ’07 when he came to the Patriots, and that’s when I got there, too,” Welker said. “We kind of grew up in this offense at the same time. I believe in Coach O’Brien. He’s a guy’s guy. There’s no BS about him. I like being around that type of thing. Luckily, he gave me a chance.”
One of the best deals Bill Belichick made was to trade second- and seventh-round picks to the Dolphins in 2007 to acquire Welker. He played six of his 12 seasons with New England, where he still owns six of the team’s receiving records.
Being reunited with O’Brien wasn’t the only reason Welker wanted to come to Houston.
“I played with (defensive coordinator) Mike Vrabel and (special-teams coordinator) Larry Izzo, two of my really good friends,” he said. “I knew the type of people I was going to be around and the type of situation it was going to be and the type of competition we were going to have on this team.”
A year off in transition
Welker spent last year out of football, being a husband and father, running his foundation and enjoying his love of racehorses. Undrafted — named after how he began his NFL career — has been quite successful.
Welker needed the year off to transition into the next stage of his life.
“I think it’s hard for anybody,” he said about his playing career ending. “You do something your whole life, and then you don’t. This is the nextbest thing, though.”
Welker had an itch to enter the coaching profession.
“I think I kind of knew, even while I was playing,” he said. “I always looked at it like, coaches put too much time in. They have to work too long. I think if I would have jumped into coaching right after I was done playing, I probably would have felt that way.
“Taking the year off and realizing how much I love the game, how much I love being around the guys and really just learning and having some laughs and being able to compete is something that I really live for.”
John Perry, who coached tight ends during O’Brien’s first three seasons, moved to receivers this season.
“I’m assisting any way I can to help Coach Perry with anything he needs,” Welker said.
He’s working closely with secondyear slot receiver Braxton Miller.
“Very talented guy, very hard worker,” Welker said. “Sometimes it just takes time. It took me three years to believe I was a (legitimate) receiver.
“I’m working with the returners a little, too, so when they screw up, you can say it’s my fault.”
He better be careful considering the Texans’ anemic return game.
“Wes has been great,” Perry said. “Wes gives you that insight (from) the player’s (perspective).
“One of the things that he’s been really helpful with me is when I present some things with him, he can give you that perspective of, ‘Yeah, that’s realistic,’ or, ‘Maybe we should think about doing this.’ It’s been great working with him.”
Considering the way he began his NFL career, Welker has learned patience. He knows what receivers are experiencing. He’s sympathetic to their growing pains.
“I always look back at when I was a rookie and coming from the Air Raid offense (at Texas Tech),” he said. “Nothing really translated to the NFL.
“I always try to put myself in their shoes, where I was at that time, when I really didn’t know anything. I think there’s some key things that you try to emphasize and try to stay on top of.
“Some people learn faster than others. Some people have a good feel for things, and then others, you have to stay on them and keep telling them.”
‘A rookie all over again’
As a first-year assistant coach, Welker tries to learn every day, just as he did as a player.
“I’m still transitioning, but it’s been good,” he said. “It’s almost like being a rookie all over again, just in a different aspect.
“I’m trying to learn from all the other coaches who have been doing it for a long time and pick up a lot of that stuff. Oh, and at the same time, learn how to turn on a computer.”
For his data-entry responsibilities.