Wes Welker

PEABODY - Patriots receiver Wes Welker demonstrated a very good backpedal when he played defensive back against players at his camp Saturday morning at Bishop Fenwick High School. It got better in front of the media. Welker backtracked from comments he made two days earlier to the Boston Herald in which he voiced his frustration that talks over a new contract with the Patriots had "gotten worse. " Now? Everything is fine and dandy. "That was probably a bad choice of words saying they've gotten worse," Welker said.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft reiterated on Tuesday that he wants to reach a long-term contract with Wes Welker. But getting to that point requires sacrifice from both sides, he noted in comments to the NFL Network at the league's spring meetings in Atlanta. "Well, we'd like to see him be a Patriot for life, but it takes two sides," Kraft said. "We're just happy he's back in the system. He's a wonderful young man, and a special guy. I think both sides would like to do a deal, but it requires intelligence and putting our team first.

So the Patriots and Wes Welker are about on the same wavelength with a contract as Chad Ochocinco was with the playbook last season. They're not close. Welker took his frustrations over the state of negotiations - which have only regressed since the Patriots offered two years at $16 million guaranteed before last season - public in comments to the Boston Herald last week. The Patriots did not react kindly to having their affairs aired that way. Big bulletin there.

The New England Patriots have announced that Wes Welker has signed a franchise tender contract. The team's announcement comes about a week after Welker posted on his Twitter account that he inked the $9.5 million deal that comes with being the team's designated franchise player. The Patriots also announced the signing of sixth-round draft choice Nate Ebner, a defensive back from Ohio State. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Welker, who has earned four straight Pro Bowl selections, leads the NFL with 554 receptions since joining the Patriots in 2007.

The Patriots and sixth-round pick Nate Ebner have reached a contract agreement, the team has announced. Ebner, a defensive back out of Ohio State, is a former rugby player who walked on for the Buckeyes and didn't really have designs on a possible shot at the NFL until a standout pro day. He gained a measure of notoriety after the Patriots made him the 197th pick in this year's draft, since he played less than a handful of snaps on defense...

FOXBOROUGH - Wes Welker may have done himself a big disservice in contract negotiations with the Patriots Thursday when he spoke publicly about the progress - or lack thereof - in recent talks. "There have been talks, but nothing that's brightened anything at all," Welker told the Boston Herald. "It's actually gotten worse. " Welker explained that "worse" means the Patriots' offer is now less than the two-year, fully guaranteed $16 million the team proposed during the 2011 regular season.

Wes Welker, designated as the Patriots' franchise player, said on Tuesday he "isn't sure" if he'll report to Foxborough for the offseason training program April 16. The veteran receiver, who was in New York City for the unveiling of the new Nike-designed NFL uniforms - other than the Seattle Seahawks, the jerseys are nearly identical to the ones Reebok rolled out for the previous several years - modeled the Patriots uniform. "I don't know," Welker said about organized team activities, according to NFL.com.

FOXBOROUGH - Wes Welker may have done himself a big disservice in contract negotiations with the Patriots Thursday when he spoke publicly about the progress - or lack thereof - in recent talks. "There have been talks, but nothing that's brightened anything at all," Welker told the Boston Herald. "It's actually gotten worse. " Welker explained that "worse" means the Patriots' offer is now less than the two-year, fully guaranteed $16 million the team proposed during the 2011 regular season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is in Atlanta today for some NFL spring meetings, and spoke with NFL Network about Wes Welker and the receiver's contract status. "Well, we'd like to see him be a Patriot for life, but it takes two sides," Kraft said. "We're just happy he's back in the system. He's a wonderful young man, and a special guy. I think both sides would like to do a deal, but it requires intelligence and putting our team first. " Kraft has said on several occasions that he'd like Welker to be a "Patriot for life," and...

By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff PEABODY -- Patriots receiver Wes Welker demonstrated a very good backpedal when he played defensive back against players at his camp Saturday morning at Bishop Fenwick High School. It got better in front of the media. Welker backtracked from comments he made two days ago to the Boston Herald in which he voiced his frustration that talks over a new contract with the Patriots had "gotten worse. " Today? Everything's fine and dandy.

So the Patriots and Wes Welker are about on the same wavelength with a contract as Chad Ochocinco was with the playbook last season. They're not close. Welker took his frustrations over the state of negotiations - which have only regressed since the Patriots offered two years at $16 million guaranteed before last season - public in comments to the Boston Herald last week. The Patriots did not react kindly to having their affairs aired that way. Big bulletin there.

PEABODY - Patriots receiver Wes Welker demonstrated a very good backpedal when he played defensive back against players at his camp Saturday morning at Bishop Fenwick High School. It got better in front of the media. Welker backtracked from comments he made two days earlier to the Boston Herald in which he voiced his frustration that talks over a new contract with the Patriots had "gotten worse. " Now? Everything is fine and dandy. "That was probably a bad choice of words saying they've gotten worse," Welker said.

PEABODY - Patriots receiver Wes Welker demonstrated a very good backpedal when he played defensive back against players at his camp Saturday morning at Bishop Fenwick High School. It got better in front of the media. Welker backtracked from comments he made two days earlier to the Boston Herald in which he voiced his frustration that talks over a new contract with the Patriots had "gotten worse. " Now? Everything is fine and dandy. "That was probably a bad choice of words saying they've gotten worse," Welker said.

FOXBOROUGH - Wes Welker may have done himself a big disservice in contract negotiations with the Patriots Thursday when he spoke publicly about the progress - or lack thereof - in recent talks. "There have been talks, but nothing that's brightened anything at all," Welker told the Boston Herald. "It's actually gotten worse. " Welker explained that "worse" means the Patriots' offer is now less than the two-year, fully guaranteed $16 million the team proposed during the 2011 regular season.

FOXBOROUGH - Wes Welker may have done himself a big disservice in contract negotiations with the Patriots Thursday when he spoke publicly about the progress - or lack thereof - in recent talks. "There have been talks, but nothing that's brightened anything at all," Welker told the Boston Herald. "It's actually gotten worse. " Welker explained that "worse" means the Patriots' offer is now less than the two-year, fully guaranteed $16 million the team proposed during the 2011 regular season.

By Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff Colleague Greg A. Bedard, citing a league source, reports that receiver Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender. UPDATE: Welker announced on his Twitter feed that he did sign, writing: "I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith" For the moment, Welker will receive a one-year, fully guaranteed $9.515 million for the 2012 season, though he and the team could still negotiate a different, longer-term deal.

The legend is dead, the prince has turned back into a frog, and...well, use whatever other cliché you want. A performance as bad as Tom Brady's tonight in Super Bowl XLVI deserves a lead just as lame. Sorry, Tommy Boy, this one's on you. Your hideous performance led to the Giants' 21-17 Super Bowl title win. How embarrassing for your coach, your teammates, and your fans. But especially for you, boy wonder. It was one thing when you led the game off with a safety, which surely put plenty of faith into the heart of Patriot Nation, but just...