We're a couple days late on this due to a busy holiday weekend, but we've got some pretty cool Patriots news for you this Monday afternoon. Patriots receiver Wes Welker, who finished tied for the league lead in receptions with 112 for the 2007-08 season (thanks to the fact that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis had Carson Palmer target T.J. "Housh-a-mazode" Houshmandzadeh about fifty times in the team's final regular season game... no, I'm not bitter), was recently awarded the 2008 Glenn S. "Pop" Warner Inspiration to Youth Award. The reason for Welker's selection for the award is twofold - first, he was honored for his breakout campaign last season; second and perhaps more importantly, the folks at Pop Warner felt Welker deserved to be recognized for his charitable work both through the Patriots organization and with his 83 Foundation. The foundation provides opportunities for underprivileged Oklahoma City children to participate in Pop Warner youth football. It's an especially appropriate honor for Welker, who serves as an inspiration not only due to the extent of his charitable involvement, but also due to the fact that he's risen from an undrafted free agent with the Chargers (where he'd eventually be cut) to a special teamer with the Dolphins (where he was under-used on offense) to one of the game's premiere wide receivers with the Patriots. Like past recipients Kurt Warner, Priest Holmes and Emmitt Smith, Welker provides a model that many kids in the Pop Warner program can look up to.