Reaction to Today's Hottest Issue for Every AFC East Team, 2/7 Edition

Every day, I will give you my reaction to the hottest stories around the AFC East. I welcome your opinion, so please leave a comment below and let your voice be heard.

Patriots receiver Wes Welker mocked with 900 pounds of Butterfingers

Pawngo.com left 900 pounds of Butterfingers candy bars at Copley Square in Boston, MA. The idea was to mock Welker for his late-game drop against the Giants in the Super Bowl.

This makes me sick. Not because I hate Butterfingers, but because this is absolutely classless. It could have been worse; they could have had them FedEx'd to Welker's house. Still, have some perspective.

If he had made the catch, we would have looked at it as an amazing catch in terms of its difficulty. That was the throw Brady had to make, though, with the safety in coverage heading that direction. If you are a receiver that is looking for a big contract, you have to make that catch.

At the same time, that wasn't the only play that led to the loss. Why didn't someone assemble 12 Nutcrackers in Boston Common to symbolize the costly 12 men on the field penalty in the first quarter? Oh, that's right—because it's in the first quarter, it somehow has a smaller impact on the outcome of the game. Just completely forget about the fact that the Giants scored a touchdown two plays later.

But beyond all this, let's not forget how much Welker has meant to this offense for the past five seasons. From 2007 to Matt Cassel to post-ACL to no turnovers to all tight ends, Welker has been productive through it all. Anyone who doesn't want him to remain in a Patriots uniform is out of his or her mind.

Ricky Williams retires

According to NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, former Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has retired.

Sure, this really qualifies more so as AFC North news since he played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, but it serves as a reminder of Williams' place in Dolphins history. He finished his Dolphins career with 6,436 rushing yards, which ranks second to Larry Csonka. Williams also ranks ahead of Ronnie Brown and Mercury Morris on the all-time leading rushers list for the Dolphins.

At the same time, his career may be remembered more for its valleys than its peaks, as Williams was in and out of the NFL from 2003-2007 for various reasons (mostly marijuana-related) due to a suspension in 2004 for a fourth violation of the league's substance abuse policy. He was a troubled person, though, as documented ESPN's 30-for-30 feature on him.

But those who might still be concerned about Ricky should have no fear for him, thanks to an inspirational tweet from Tuesday afternoon via his personal Twitter account.

Pete Metzelaars to coach Buffalo Bills tight ends

The Bills have been doing some work on their coaching staff since the end of the 2011 season, and they made another move on Tuesday. According to the Bills' official website, the team added former starting tight end Pete Metzelaars to the coaching staff.

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"Metzelaars spent the past two seasons as offensive line coach of the Indianapolis Colts," writes Chris Brown of buffalobills.com. "Prior to that, he spent two seasons as the assistant offensive line coach after being promoted from offensive quality control coach. ...Where Metzelaars excelled as a player was with his consistency as a fundamentally sound tight end that could effectively execute all facets of the position, something he plans to pass on to the Bills tight ends."

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Metzelaars is a familiar name to Bills fans, as he was a starter for the team for nearly 10 years and was a favorite target of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. And if he coaches tight ends anything like he played tight end, Bills fans should be really excited for the future of young tight end Scott Chandler.

The Bills hadn't been getting much production out of their tight ends at all until recently, but with the emergence of Chandler at that position, there's hope for the future. He showed a great deal of potential, and with proper coaching, he could be headed for great things.

That's especially true if he can become more well-rounded, as Metzelaars hopes to preach.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.