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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – **One of the Broncos' newest wide receivers, Wes Welker, was back at Dove Valley today advance of the start of training camp Thursday. He said he was anxious for the first day of camp – more so than he was for the first day of school in his younger days.
"Whenever you're a kid, they're not paying you to go out there and perform – you're kind of on your own," Welker said at the Broncos media barbecue Wednesday. "So there's a little more to it now."
He also said that he feels good being back at Dove Valley. During his time here in OTAs and minicamp, Welker worked on developing his chemistry with quarterback Peyton Manning in addition to working with the other receivers.
And he will be continuing those processes through training camp as he pursues a comfort level with his new team.
"It's one of those deals, it takes years a lot of times to get – even in my fifth, sixth year in New England I was still feeling like I was getting comfortable," he said. "It just doesn't happen overnight – knowing what Peyton (Manning) wants or anything else."
While Welker is still learning to play with Manning, he is no stranger to playing with highly talented quarterbacks. Welker said that comparing Manning and his former quarterback -- New England's Tom Brady -- was like trying to compare famous painters Picasso and Michelangelo.
He considers himself lucky to have played with such high-caliber passers, but it wasn't by accident that he ended up catching passes from Manning.
"I do feel like I'm lucky in that aspect but really, I tell people that was by design," Welker said. "There really weren't too many quarterbacks I was going to play with and so when it came down to it, those are the two main guys I wanted to play with."
But Manning isn't only the only player that Welker is making the most of his time on the field with. Harris, a third-year cornerback, pushed Welker with some battles in the offseason program.
Welker thinks that makes them both better players.
"It's been great to have that on the other side of the ball," Welker said. "He's one of the top slot guys out there and it's been great to work against that and making each other better and working at each other. He's from Oklahoma as well and so he's got a little fight in him and so I like to see that. It's really good to see because you don't have to see it on Sunday."
Even though he's still trying to familiarize himself with his new teammates and his new organization, he already starting to call the Denver area home.
"You know I'm loving it," he said. "My wife and I are in Cherry Creek, we're loving the weather and everything about it. It is kind of feeling like home. It's been really good."
