Scott Cordischi On Sports: Welker Will Remain A Patriot

Scott Cordischi On Sports: Welker Will Remain A Patriot

Some say that the New England Patriots have a big decision to make by next Monday. They would be wrong.

The Patriots do not have a decision to make by March 5th. If they fail to sign Wes Welker to a new contract, they MUST use the franchise tag in order to assure that he will be with the team in 2012.

Recent reports have suggested that “Welker is expected to be named the team’s franchise player if a new deal is not reached.” Duh! Talk about stating the obvious. That’s like saying the sun will come up tomorrow, or the grass is green, or that the Giants own the Patriots. Sorry about that last one!

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The bottom line is that New England cannot afford to let Welker walk. And they won’t. If a deal cannot be reached in time, they will gladly fork over the $9.5 million it would cost to franchise him.

The Patriots have many different issues facing them this offseason, keeping Welker isn’t one of them.

-Ditto for the New Orleans Saints with quarterback Drew Brees whom they are said to be far apart with on a new long term deal.

-Word is that PC will be landing JUCO forward Orlando Sanchez. The 6’-9” Sanchez averages about 11 points and 8 rebounds per game for Monroe College. He played for John Calipari and the Dominican Republic National Team over the summer. Sanchez would be a nice piece to the puzzle Ed Cooley and his staff is putting together adding experience to the talented incoming freshman class. If you think back to the Elite 8 Friars team of 1997, JUCO players Ruben Garces and Derek Brown were huge additions to that club supplementing the young talent of God Shammgod and Jamel Thomas. Of course, that team also had Austin Croshere. Still, Sanchez would be a solid get for PC.

-Speaking of the Friars, Tuesday night’s win over UConn is another example of how loud the Dunk can get for one of their games. PC is still the “pro” team in Rhode Island and this state wants nothing more than to see them do well.

-The NBA All-Star game is the biggest yawnfest in all of sports.

-Did you see where Stanford’s Andrew Luck ran the same 40-time that Cam Newton did at the scouting combine?

-It’s buyer beware for whatever team takes a shot on Peyton Manning this fall.

-Stephen King is writing the script for the movie describing college basketball in Rhode Island this winter. It’s going to be called “Misery 2.”

-Bobby Valentine banned alcohol from the Red Sox clubhouse. Did he mention anything about fried chicken?

-The publicity over Jeremy Lin is officially out of control now that Ben & Jerry’s has come out with a “Lin-Sanity” flavor.

-As disappointed as I am that my alma mater Syracuse will be joining the ACC, I’m glad that they’re not going to be a part of this ridiculous new Big East.

-Congrats to Brown Bears junior guard Matt Sullivan who was named Academic All-American last week.

-Maybe the Red Sox should allow beer in the clubhouse but charge the players 10-bucks a beer like they do the poor stiffs who spend their hard earned money to go to Fenway Park.

-Profootballtalk.com reports that Randy Moss would be willing to sign a contract that contains no guaranteed money when he returns to the NFL this fall.

-Am I the only one who feels dumber after watching an episode of “Jersey Shore”?

-Who was the genius that decided to hand out scouting reports for the ALDS in the Red Sox clubhouse during the rain delay of their regular season finale in Baltimore?

-Maybe I’m being a little too hard on the NBA All-Star game. After all, Dewayne Wade did break Kobe Bryant’s nose trying to stop him from going in for a dunk.

-Am I the only one who doesn’t care that Bryant passed Michael Jordan for most career All-Star game points scored?

-Not that I dislike Kobe Bryant. I just don’t care who score what in that meaningless game.

-Danny Ainge has his work cut out for him.

-Kentucky and Syracuse are locks for #1-seeds in the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

-Duke, Kansas, North Ca-rolina and Missouri will likely battle for the other two top-seeds. Michigan State’s loss to Indiana may have taken them out of consideration.

-Former Brown coach Glen Miller was back in Providence Tuesday. Miller is an assistant coach at UConn and won a National Championship with the Huskies last season.

-Good luck to Bob Walsh and the Rhode Island College Anchormen who play Salem State Friday night in the division 3 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

-Good luck as well to former Brown University assistant football coach Kyle Archer who will be taking a similar position at the University of Maine.

-They may not have made a big splash before the NHL trading deadline, but the Bruins did acquire winger Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau from the NY Islanders and defenseman Greg Zanon from the Minnesota Wild.

-Boston College LB Luke Kuechly performed extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine Monday doing nothing to hurt his chances of being a first round pick in April’s draft.

-Kuechly would look good in a Patriots uniform and reminds me of a Tedy Bruschi-type player.

-His former team – Boston College – will kick-off its 2012 season September 1st against ACC foe Miami at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill. They will also host Notre Dame later in the season.

-Nothing against Andrew Luck, but I’m rooting for RG3 to be the better pro of the two.

-And things just weren’t the same in Indy this past week with no Super Bowl guarantees from Jets’ coach Rex Ryan.

-Kudos to Jason Varitek who will announce his retirement on Thursday. Every pro athlete should handle themselves with as much class as the former Red Sox catcher seemed to.

-You have to love the Yankees insisting that they “practice” the cut-off play that Derek Jeter made in the 2001 ALDS against Oakland. Jeter, himself, said in a documentary that they do NOT practice that play and that is was entirely instinctual.

-Which is why Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine should not have changed his tune after taking a poke at the Yankees’ star short stop.

-Still, you have to love Valentine tweaking the Yankees every chance he gets!