By Tom E. CurranFOXBORO - Hard to fathom it needed reaffirming, but Tom Brady said Wednesday that slot receiver Wes Welker is "a huge part of this offense and what we do on a weekly basis."Welker was targeted 173 times in 2011 and led the NFL with 122 catches. This year, the team is paying him a 9.5 million salary. Yet the fact Welker saw five passes on Sunday and played fewer snaps than normal touched off conspiracy theories that couldn't see the forest for the trees. Brady's words should quell theories, but that's no guarantee. "Every week is a little bit different," Brady explained. "There are different opportunities on different weeks for different players. I think the thing that's important to remember is that it's a 16-game season. You start getting up there, and play 600 or 700 plays every year, when you need it most, you have to be fresh. I think that goes for all of us. There is really a fine line because you're not pacing yourself by any stretch, but at the same time, 'Look, it's Week 1.' We have a lot of football to play. We're going to need everybody."Brady was likely alluding to the fact that Julian Edelman played snaps in Tennessee in place of Welker. Roughly two-thirds of the snaps went to Welker; one-third went to Edelman. On Sunday, the addition of wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and the emergence of Stevan Ridley helped cause Brady to funnel them the ball on 29 plays.
"There are going to be games where Wes has not as many opportunities, and games where he has a ton of opportunities," said Brady. "It all depends on how the game may play out or the situation of the game. But he's I'm sure there won't be too many games where he doesn't get a lot of opportunity."