He can't be kept down

Welker bounces back from hit to contribute

MIAMI GARDENS - Wes Welker never got the license plate of the tractor-trailer that flattened him following a first-quarter reception yesterday. Hauling in a desperation shovel pass from Matt Cassel, Welker turned upfield and was summarily steamrolled by Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder.

The ever-durable Welker stayed on the ground trying to collect the breath that had been knocked out of him, but it looked worse than that. It could be assumed forward-thinking Patriots coach Bill Belichick already was considering potential slot receivers to try out next week if Welker joined the team's expansive infirmary report.

Instead, Welker, who amazingly held onto the ball for a 2-yard gain on the play, was right back on the field two plays later and, what's more, caught an 8-yard pass that helped keep the drive going. It eventually was capped by Cassel's 8-yard touchdown run.

Welker ultimately hauled in a team-high-tying eight passes for 120 yards, including a career-high 64-yard reception that led to another score and helped the Patriots pull away for a 48-28 triumph yesterday at Dolphin Stadium.

So asked which of the two memorable moments - the bone-shaking hit or the career-long reception - he remembered best following the win, Welker acknowledged it was the latter.

"Probably the 64-yarder because I didn't really remember too much about the hit," said Welker. "It's part of the game. You bounce back up and come back stronger."

OK, but how does a 5-foot-9-inch bowling pin bounce back from being leveled by a 6-2 bowling ball? Welker got slammed harder than his alma mater, Texas Tech, did in a 65-21 throttling at Oklahoma Saturday night.

"I don't know, man, you gotta be tough," said Welker. "You get slapped around by your older brothers then you get up and come back with a pool stick."

That metaphorical pool stick was the game-changing 64-yard catch-and-run Welker smashed across the back of the Dolphins in the third quarter.

In a game that featured six lead changes, the Patriots were clinging to a 24-21 advantage when New England took over at its 13 with 1:30 to play in the third. On the second play of the drive, Cassel flipped a short pass to the left flat to Welker, who found some blocks - including a pivotal one from receiver Sam Aiken - and managed to tiptoe his way down the Dolphins' sideline for the big gain.

Two plays later, Kevin Faulk bounced into the end zone on a 21-yard run on the final play of the quarter to put the Patriots on top by 10.

No one would have blamed Welker if he had stayed on the sideline after the first-quarter hit.

"He's smaller than I am, and you know those hits have got to hurt," said Belichick.

"Most of the time he seems to manage to miss those solid blows, he gets them when they're kind of glancing, or he squirts under them, but every once in a while they tag him, but he's a tough kid and he tends to bounce right back. So that's pretty impressive."

Welker returned to extend his streak of being the only player in NFL history to haul in six or more passes in the first 11 games of the season. He also recorded his third straight 100-yard game, while setting a season high for yardage.

Welker has 80 receptions for 838 yards overall. He's on pace to challenge his team-high mark of 112 receptions last season. Yet he finds fault in not finding the end zone, something he's done just once this season (he scored eight touchdowns a year ago).

Talking about his 64-yard reception, he said, "That's probably a play I need to finish.

"I got a little bit of open space, turned it up, and Sam Aiken did a great job of blocking. I can't say enough good things about Sam, holding onto that guy, I just tiptoed the sideline as far as I could."

Welker caught passes on six drives, including four scoring drives for a total of 24 points.

"Wes does a lot of things well," said Belichick.

"He's quick, he runs well after the catch, he's got great hands, good concentration, good feel for man and zone coverage, he's a good technique player, as well as having good skills.

"He knows how to attack defenses, how to attack coverages and get open. He's got a good repertoire and you can throw a lot of different pitches at him.

"So it doesn't take just one thing to take him away, he's got too many changeups."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@boston.com.