Patriots vs. Dolphins: Tom Brady to Wes Welker Still NFL's Most Underrated Combo

It is not often that you hear the words "Tom Brady" and "underrated" in the same sentence, but after watching the New England Patriots quarterback connect with Wes Welker to the tune of eight catches and 160 yards, it has become clear as the light of day that this QB-WR combo still does not get the love and appreciation that it deserves.

This has nothing to do with the 99-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Welker late in the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Miami Dolphins, though that does not hurt the case, and more to do with the fact that fans see Welker as a "possession receiver."

Welker is not a "sexy" receiver. He will catch a three-yard slant and turn it into an 11-yard gain by dancing around defenders. He is not often running down the field past defenders and making a leaping catch over a defender, but rather, he is making plays close to the line of scrimmage that most receivers are not asked to make.

That is not to say that those other receivers could not make those plays, but Welker is the only one who is actually doing it on a consistent basis.

But when you watch Welker play, it is apparent that Brady would not be the quarterback that he is today without Welker catching passes.

Don't get me wrong, Brady would still be great because he is so accurate and poised in the pocket that he can throw for 3,500 yards with a group of scrubs at wide receiver—he did it in 2006 with Jabar Gaffney as his No. 1 receiver.

But when you add Welker to the mix, Brady becomes the quarterback that we saw last night, the one who throws for over 500 yards and four touchdowns.

And as far as QB-WR duos are concerned, Brady-Welker do not often get the same amount of publicity as Manning-Wayne, Ryan-White and Schaub-Johnson, but you can't tell me that after everything that we have seen Brady and Welker do over the last four-plus seasons that they don't belong above all those other duos.

Welker is the most important player on the Patriots offense not named Brady, and perhaps Brady knows that the addition of Welker has helped him become the player that he is today.

It is time to stop overlooking the duo of Brady-Welker when thinking about the best QB-WR duos in the NFL and start appreciating the greatness that happens when they step onto the field every single week.