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Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker runs with the ball as Oakland Raiders defensive end Trevor Scott (91) and defensive back Chimdi Chekwa, right, look on during the second quarter of their NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in Oakland, Calif.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Tom Brady called Wes Welker the "heart and soul" of the Patriots after the 5-foot-9 wide receiver caught nine passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 31-19 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Welker continued his torrid start this season. Last week, he had 16 catches for a team-record 217 yards against Buffalo. With 40 receptions for 616 yards through four games, he is on pace for 160 catches and more than 2,400 yards.
"He’s been that way since the day he got here; he works his tail off," Brady said. "He’s a great player, great teammate. He’s really become a real dynamic player over the years."
Welker seemed to get open at will against the Raiders’ coverage, particularly in the second half. On New England’s second touchdown drive of that half, he had four catches for 62 yards.
"(The Raiders are) a big man (to man) team, so I knew that we had to come to play and make sure that we beat man coverage and get open and make some plays in the passing game," Welker said. "They’re so good inside that it was key that we make some plays."
As to what makes Welker so dangerous, Oakland cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said Welker is a smart player and he and Brady "really have a chemistry that you really don’t see from other receivers and quarterbacks."
"We knew he was going to make some plays," Chekwa said. "But we have to do a better job of getting after their key players, and we didn’t do that today."
Passing Montana — With two touchdown passes that gave him 274 for his career, Brady passed Joe Montana (273) for ninth place all-time.
Asked what it meant to pass Montana, the San Mateo native said he was unaware of the feat.
"Joe’s I’m not going to be in Joe’s category," Brady said. "We throw the ball a lot more than they threw it back then. So it’s much more of a passing league than it’s ever been. But it was a good game for us. Every one of those touchdowns was important today, so it was fun."
Offense moves Jason Campbell affirmed that if somebody had told him the Raiders’ offense would gain 500 yards against the Patriots, he would have expected a different outcome. Oakland finished with 504 yards.
"Every time we’ve had 500 yards of offense, we’ve won, dating back to last season and this year," Campbell said. "This is the first time we’ve been on the losing side of it. It was frustrating. It was a frustrating game in the second half."
Campbell was 25 for 39 for 344 yards. The Raiders have lost both games this season in which he has passed for more than 300 yards.
Et cetera — Fullback Richard Gordon, starting in place of the inactive Marcel Reece (ankle), left the game because of a hand injury.
Running back Michael Bush sustained an ankle injury, coach Hue Jackson said.
Safety Michael Huff (concussion) was inactive and missed the first game of his career. He had played in 83 straight games since entering the league in 2006.
Darrius Heyward-Bey had a career-high 115 receiving yards.
Rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore caught a six-yard touchdown pass, his third straight game with a touchdown.
Boston Herald
Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker runs with the ball as Oakland Raiders defensive end Trevor Scott (91) and defensive back Chimdi Chekwa, right, look on during the second quarter of their NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in Oakland, Calif.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Tom Brady called Wes Welker the "heart and soul" of the Patriots after the 5-foot-9 wide receiver caught nine passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 31-19 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Welker continued his torrid start this season. Last week, he had 16 catches for a team-record 217 yards against Buffalo. With 40 receptions for 616 yards through four games, he is on pace for 160 catches and more than 2,400 yards.
"He’s been that way since the day he got here; he works his tail off," Brady said. "He’s a great player, great teammate. He’s really become a real dynamic player over the years."
Welker seemed to get open at will against the Raiders’ coverage, particularly in the second half. On New England’s second touchdown drive of that half, he had four catches for 62 yards.
"(The Raiders are) a big man (to man) team, so I knew that we had to come to play and make sure that we beat man coverage and get open and make some plays in the passing game," Welker said. "They’re so good inside that it was key that we make some plays."
As to what makes Welker so dangerous, Oakland cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said Welker is a smart player and he and Brady "really have a chemistry that you really don’t see from other receivers and quarterbacks."
"We knew he was going to make some plays," Chekwa said. "But we have to do a better job of getting after their key players, and we didn’t do that today."
Passing Montana — With two touchdown passes that gave him 274 for his career, Brady passed Joe Montana (273) for ninth place all-time.
Asked what it meant to pass Montana, the San Mateo native said he was unaware of the feat.
"Joe’s I’m not going to be in Joe’s category," Brady said. "We throw the ball a lot more than they threw it back then. So it’s much more of a passing league than it’s ever been. But it was a good game for us. Every one of those touchdowns was important today, so it was fun."
Offense moves Jason Campbell affirmed that if somebody had told him the Raiders’ offense would gain 500 yards against the Patriots, he would have expected a different outcome. Oakland finished with 504 yards.
"Every time we’ve had 500 yards of offense, we’ve won, dating back to last season and this year," Campbell said. "This is the first time we’ve been on the losing side of it. It was frustrating. It was a frustrating game in the second half."
Campbell was 25 for 39 for 344 yards. The Raiders have lost both games this season in which he has passed for more than 300 yards.
Et cetera — Fullback Richard Gordon, starting in place of the inactive Marcel Reece (ankle), left the game because of a hand injury.
Running back Michael Bush sustained an ankle injury, coach Hue Jackson said.
Safety Michael Huff (concussion) was inactive and missed the first game of his career. He had played in 83 straight games since entering the league in 2006.
Darrius Heyward-Bey had a career-high 115 receiving yards.
Rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore caught a six-yard touchdown pass, his third straight game with a touchdown.
Boston Herald
