In the words of Clark W. Griswold, “If this isn’t the biggest bag-over-the-head, punch-in-the-face I ever got, GOD DAMN IT!”  Look, we’ve known for over a year now that there was a possibility Welker could leave.  Football is a business and everyone’s a salary cap hit away from moving on.  We get that.  All you can do is hope if they DO go, it’s to someplace that doesn’t hurt you too bad.  So where does Welker go?  Denver.  With Baltimore imploding and the rest of AFC East years away from being able to challenge us, he goes to the one conference rival we have left.  To catch passes from the  quarterback a generation of Patriots fans has loved to hate above all others.  This is about as Worst-Case as Scenarios get.  I’ve never exactly wondered what it would it would feel like to have your wife bang your sworn enemy on your living room rug while you sat on the couch and watched, but it can’t feel any worse than this.

In time, I’ll come to grips with this.  Granted there’s only one Wes Welker.  There’s only been one guy ever with his ability, his hustle, his toughness, his likability and his Hooters Hall of Fame Stoolie wife.  But every team loses guys.  Even folk heroes. That’s pro football in 2013.  It’s a business.  You either believe in the Patriots system of paying guys according to what they think they’re worth or you don’t.  The teams that aren’t disciplined, that overpay because they think some guys can’t be replaced are the teams that never challenge for titles, and the Patriots way of saying the tough goodbyes has them in the hunt every year.  Like Napoleon said, “The cemeteries are filled with indispensable men.”  But Welker will be missed, no question about it.  March is the worst month to be a Patriots fan.  Every time you say it’s a game, they call it a business.  Every time call it a business, they say it’s a game.  But this blows. @JerryThornton1

PS. The only one I feel worse for than Tom Brady, is myself.