The infamous incident in which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said New England had a Jets defensive playbook took place at Wes Welker’s wedding. Welker recalls the incident as more about Brady trying to get inside an opponent’s head than inside an opponent’s playbook.
Welker said on 98.5 The Sports Hub that when everyone was together at his wedding, Brady and Welker’s old Texas Tech teammate Mike Smith were engaged in some playful banter. Smith, who is now the co-defensive coordinator at Texas Tech, was an assistant on the Jets at the time, and that’s why Brady told Smith the Patriots had the Jets’ playbook. Welker said he’s not aware of the Patriots doing anything underhanded to acquire a Jets playbook.
“Not that I know of,” Welker said. “Every little bit helps, but at the same time I don’t know. It might [help]. Not that I know of. My best friend from college was on the staff there with the Jets, Mike Smith, and we would always make stuff up with each other. Tom got to know Mike as well. Mike would say, ‘Oh so-and-so is gonna cover you in the game — actually no we’re just gonna double team you.’ And I would make stuff up too. Every once in a while you throw something true in there just to throw him off. It was just playing mind games a little bit.”
The media coverage of what became known as Playbookgate seemed to ruffle the feathers of all three NFL head coaches involved, Mike Pettine, Rex Ryan and Bill Belichick. But as Welker describes it, it was more a matter of some good-natured kidding around than anything serious.