We predicted that New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker's joking comments about coach Bill Belichick after Sunday's 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos would get a lot of play in Boston. We were right.
"Yeah, it's kind of nice to stick it in Bill's face once in a while. So this is definitely a good one," Welker said when asked if he enjoyed catching 13 passes.
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The inevitable happened Monday. Welker met the media for a follow-up.
"It was a joke," Welker said. "I don't know what to else say about it ... Bill and I have a good relationship."
We've heard some buzz that suggests otherwise, but Welker's willingness to even poke fun at Belichick is a sign he's comfortable with the coach. That's not a joke a rookie would dare try. Welker noted he'd have to be more careful about what he said in the future, which is too bad. Welker and Belichick are both sarcastic, and it's nice to see that come out in public.
Tom Curran of Comcast SportsNet New England reports that Welker feels badly that he created a stir. The joke apparently was aimed at former Patriots players Troy Brown and Ty Law, who were in the Comcast studios.
Belichick was asked about it Monday, which should end this little news cycle.
The coach's unsurprising response: "You should ask (Welker) about it then, what he meant by it. I don't know."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
