matt's pats blog

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe wrote a great piece on an unconventional offseason training technique used by Patriots wideout Wes Welker – and how Randy Moss took notice.

The story goes something like this: Over the course of his remarkable 112-catch season last year, Welker added a distinguished admirer to what has become a growing legion of boosters – Randy Moss. The two were naturally spending a lot of time together as Patriots receivers, and it wasn't long before Moss started chatting up Welker on some of the finer points of his smooth route-running.

How do you get in and out of your cuts so efficiently while running full speed? What helps you find those creases in tight spaces, which is such a key in the NFL passing game these days? Tell me more about your footwork.

Welker shared with Moss that he believed his background in soccer was a big part of it. He started playing fútbol when he was 4 years old, and continued through his senior year at Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City.

Welker still keeps a soccer ball close by, and regularly uses it as part of his football training. He juggles it between his feet, not allowing it to touch the ground. Sometimes it's the simple skill of possessing the ball, on the ground, with the bottom of his feet. Or he'll dribble it between his feet as he surges up and down the field, focusing on short, quick cuts.

"I really feel that it's helped with my footwork, getting in and out of breaks, and it seems like I can take a bunch of little steps in a very quick amount of time," Welker said yesterday during a break from the Patriots' passing camp at Gillette Stadium.

"Your feet get put in some awkward positions in football, but I'm sort of used to that from playing soccer, from moving the ball around. I definitely think that's a big part of what has made me successful in the NFL."

Moss agrees. So impressed was he with what he saw from Welker last season, he's added his own soccer-specific drills to his training this offseason in Florida.

Now, I'm not sure Moss' soccer training will help him, but this workout shows a couple things:

1. Welker, who served as a backup kicker in Miami, is truly a Patriot. Belichick loves brining other sports techniques into his own management style (he asked the LA Lakers coach for advice on the salary cap when it was implemented in the NFL; he also regularly uses baseball, basketball, boxing, and other sport-related videos to help prepare his team). Welker should be a fixture here for many years – quite possibly after he's done playing football.
2. Moss is always hungry. Even after breaking the NFL record for touchdowns in a season, Moss is using new offseason workouts to even further his stellar game. Even if the soccer drills don't help him (Moss plays a different receiver role than Welker), the fact that he's experimenting to become better shows his drive.