FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wes Welker is missing his second consecutive game for the New England Patriots, but Randy Moss is expected to play.
"Well, obviously yeah, to make a fair evaluation of a quarterback, you're as good as the 10 guys around you," McCown said. "If those guys are executing at a high level, then it's appropriate to be able to make a fair judgment. At the same time, you can still observe and tell if a guy is doing what he's supposed to do and if a quarterback, whether his eyes or his decision making, is going the right place for the ball. If you have young guys outside that aren't necessarily running the right routes, that's understandable and it happens, but it doesn't necessarily mean you can say it's not the quarterback's fault if that happens. You can still evaluate, and these reps are important for all of us, so yes, to your point, obviously it doesn't help, but at the same time, I think we're all in it together, and that's part of the leadership and bringing those guys along as a quarterback and no matter who you have in your huddle, getting those guys to play at the standard that we set."
The Patriots other inactive players are defensive backs Jonathan Wilhite and Darius Butler, linebackers Jerod Mayo and Prescott Burgess, offensive linemen Rich Ohrnberger and Kendall Simmons and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
The inactives for the Falcons are backup running back Jerious Norwood, offensive tackles Will Svitek and Garrett Reynolds, defensive backs Tye Hill and William Moore, linebacker Spencer Adkins and defensive tackle Vance Walker. John Parker Wilson is the third quarterback.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press