Kyle Arrington complimentary of Wes Welker

Former teammates and friends Kyle Arrington and Wes Welker will be squaring off Sunday in the slot, and Arrington talked this week about the player and competitor that Welker was in practice while in New England, and now is on the opposing team.

"Obviously Wes is a talented player. Definitely one of the premier -- if not the best -- slot guys in the league. Facing him is always a challenge. Day in, day out last year was always a challenge. This week is about a lot of focus and preparation and then ultimately, when it comes to the game, try to win as many one-on-one battles as possible."

The two were teammates for four years and their familiarity makes their matchup one of the one's to watch in tomorrow's game. And while talking about Welker, it seems like there is never a lack of a Welker-Edelman comparison. Arrington says the two are opposites when it comes to their demeanor on the field: Wes the "quiet storm" and Julian the shit talker.

"Wes is like a quiet storm, man. You have to really tick Wes off for him to talk to you. If Wes is talking to you, then you're in trouble. Julian is sort of the opposite of Wes. Everybody has their own thing, and that's Jules man."

While the two are often compared, Arrington said everyone is different. Welker, Amendola, and Edelman: they are all different. Speaking of comparisons, Arrington and Welker have theirs as well. Welker was undrafted out of Texas Tech and Arrington went undrafted out of Hofstra, a school that doesn't even have a football program anymore. Both guys had no expectations and defied the odds to get to their current position.

Arrington will need to match Welker's toughness on Sunday, another aspect that Wes was complimented on:

"He's a tough guy. To come off of concussions or whatever the case is, hard hits, he gets right back up . . . I guess there was a report was he didn't want to report whatever head injury he had, but that's just Wes. He's the ultimate competitor. That's everyday. I remember that. It's gonna be a challenge."

In the first meeting, although Kyle Arrington was not exclusively covering Wes, he was held to only 4 catches for 31 yards.  We can only hope for the same success this time around, but Wes is just one piece of the best group of receivers in the league. It's the biggest test yet for the secondary especially with Bronco's tight end Julius Thomas back, but they seem ready for the challenge. @joeloobs @PatriotsLife

Via: NBC Sports