An offseason of contract unrest between Wes Welker and the New England Patriots gave way to a first regular-season game filled with inactivity.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that Welker only played 43 of 67 snaps against the Titans. That's 64 percent, down dramatically from the 89 percent he played during the 2011 season, according to Reiss. Welker had only three catches for 14 yards and a potential first down went off his facemask early in the game.
Welker basically split snaps with Julian Edelman, who took his spot in the slot on roughly one third of the team's snaps. The Patriots vary their gameplan dramatically from one week to the next, so perhaps this is just a blip on the radar.
Then again, perhaps it's a sign the offense is moving even more toward the team's two young tight ends and Brandon Lloyd. Perhaps it's a sign of what life would be like without Welker.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
