Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker (83) evades a tackle by Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed (20) in the second quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, Wes Welker signed with the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster move. So what does that mean for both the Patriots and the Broncos? Heck, what does it mean for the AFC?

Many fans, and even some analysts, are already calling for a shift in power within the AFC. However, without seeing any results of the move in game time action, many of those claims are either mislead, or over exaggerated.

To look at the Broncos, Welker is obviously going to be a great addition to the type of pass-first offense that Denver runs. With very solid outside threats like Demaryius Thomas, Welker will quickly emerge as a go-to guy in the slot receiver position on any down. The offense should and will become much more dynamic with his signing.

But don’t count out the Patriots. It wasn’t a matter of money for New England from the start. They seemed to have their eyes on another star receiver before free agency even began. And when the time came, the Patriots grabbed Danny Amendola, formerly with the St. Louis Rams.

So while the Broncos will gain production, the Patriots will be far from losing it. And the AFC may not see such a huge power shift after all. Just two great teams that had a different look on how to become better.

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Oct 13, 2012; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlett Knights linebacker Khaseem Greene (20) against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Highpoint Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Our linebacker play hasn’t been very good in quite a few years, but watching Rey Maualuga in the playoffs was a whole new form of brutality for Bengals fans. It seemed like every play that the Texans ran was right at Maualuga and every play he missed. He couldn’t tackle in the run game and he couldn’t cover anyone on the field in the passing game.

He has to be replaced this off season and there are two ways to go about doing that. The first would be to draft a middle linebacker and just plug him in and play. I’m not sure either of the top 2 middle linebackers will be there when the Bengals pick. The second option is to take an outside linebacker and move Vontaze Burfict back inside to his natural position. This is the option I see getting us the most talented linebacking core we can have. Enter Khaseem Green who does everything the Bengals really need.

Green’s Measurables:

Height: 6’1

Weight: 230

40 Time: 4.6

Aug 23, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver AJ Green (18) looks toward the fans during the pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Bengals are out of the playoffs, it’s time to look ahead to the off season. While this Bengals team has exceeded expectations the past 2 years, and was a pretty good 10-6 team, this team still has some holes on it that really need addressed this off season if they hope to advance any farther in the playoffs. And let’s be honest, while this is the first time the Bengals have had back to back playoffs teams since 1990, none of us should be satisfied with a 1 and done every year.

Linebacker – One way or another Rey Maualuga cannot start for this team next year. He was bad all year and absolutely exposed in the playoff game against the Texans. He misses too many tackles and can’t cover anyone. There are 2 ways I can see to go about this. The first is just sign or draft a new MLB and start him there. The second option is get an OLB to replace Vontaze Burfict and move him back inside. Either way, Maualuga has to be gone.

Safety – Reggie Nelson is an above average safety who is a very good at blitzing and is good against the run. Chris Crocker is the sane thing. We need a safety with some coverage skill who can cover TE’s and RB’s. The young safeties we keep picking in the 5th round don’t seem to be working out.