Wes Welker's concussion history became a concern again when he signed with the St. Louis Rams on Monday. On Tuesday, the receiver dismissed those worries.
"Not at all," he said when asked if he was worried when he walks on the field, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I've been cleared by the doctors and everything else. Obviously I'm not going to try and look for contact and everything like that, but I'm not thinking about it either.
"I'm out there playing hard and playing the way I need to play to be successful. You start second-guessing yourself out there and that's when you get in trouble."
Welker has experienced a string of concussions in his career, but the 34-year-old wideout said he played last year without a head injury.
"I'm really not worried about it," he said. "I know I'm a poster child right now and everything else. I'm good and ready to play some ball."
Welker's play deteriorated even when healthy in Denver. His biggest weakness is lack of separation from defensive backs, something that isn't likely to improve a year later.
The Rams hope Welker can be a third-down pass-catcher, a spot where they've struggled, especially in mid-range conversions -- they rank as the NFL's worst third-down offense, converting 23.8 percent. St. Louis' offense boils down mainly to Todd Gurley runs, Tavon Austin plays and an occasional deep bomb. It remains to be seen how Welker fits into that puzzle.
"We all know if (Austin) gets the ball in his hands, he can go the distance," coach Jeff Fisher said. "Now, you have another guy that you've got to contend with that's going to get you the first down."
