Mike Mayock on Edelman

rochrist said:

I think he was the punter, or at least he was part of the time. (looked it up, part time, punted 8 times over two seasons, 38 yard average)

In the playoff game, he was credited with a forced fumble on the Ravens final drive. He was also the primary kick returner. But really, how awesome is it that he was a two way player in one of the biggest games of the years. Can anyone else thing of someone doing that in the NFL?

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Troy brown

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/tom-brady-peyton-manning-cheating/

One night earlier this year, I ran into friends in New York who happened to be with Julian Edelman. After a breakout season, Edelman had been debating whether to re-sign or leave for a bigger offer … which meant he’d be leaving Tom Brady. And his friends were busting his balls about it. Go ahead, leave Brady — see what happens. It was actually pretty funny.10

Edelman knew what I did for a living. He had a couple of drinks in him. He was feeling emotional about Brady — again, it was unclear whether they were done as teammates — and launched into an endearingly genuine monologue about Brady’s brilliance. What an unbelievable teammate Brady was. What an unbelievable quarterback he was. How he worked harder, day in and day out, than any teammate Edelman had ever had. How he owed everything to the guy. We joked that Edelman almost sounded like a religious fanatic discussing the Cult of Brady or something. But that’s how he felt.

I asked him how long Brady could keep playing, and without hesitation, Edelman said, “As long as he wants.”

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The block GRONK throws on that bubble screen is ridiculous. Just chucks the guy like he's nothing. Guy (Harris Jr I think) gets up and is like whoa! Ok I'm done.

I wonder how much being a QB in college has helped Edelman as a WR/PR

He must be able to read defenses much better than your average WR. Probably sees the field much better.

RelocatedPatFan said:

Who could not hear Edleman's story and not love the kid and the effort he has put into being a football player?

I'm still waiting to see him throw a pass (while I prefer Brady to make the throws, I'd like to see just one)

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He has thrown one.

Can't remember the game, but on a punt return he tried a throw to Talib who was along the sideline and clear for a big run. But got hit just as he was in throwing motion and Talib was lucky to get the fumble.

Do you know in what show this clip was? It's NFL Network or an NFL.com simple video?

dales804 said:

We saw him throw one to this board's very own @brdmaverick. Looks like a good spiral.

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Shed83 said:

He has thrown one.

Can't remember the game, but on a punt return he tried a throw to Talib who was along the sideline and clear for a big run. But got hit just as he was in throwing motion and Talib was lucky to get the fumble.

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Thanks guys, I'll learn to be more explicit in the future when I really mean some type of offensive/trick play.

MrNathanDrake said:

I wonder how much being a QB in college has helped Edelman as a WR/PR

He must be able to read defenses much better than your average WR. Probably sees the field much better.

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I'm sure it helps him get on the same page as Brady for sure. They both see things from that QB perspective. On the flip side though, I think the transition was a big part of his early career durability problems. He wasn't used to the motions of a WR, and definitely wasn't used to protecting himself in those conditions. He seems to be staying healthier now that he has some understanding of the position.

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 13m13 minutes ago
I bet Edelman loves his ST POW award. Coaches were busting him last week for his drops, told him he'd be on punt coverage if they continued.

RelocatedPatFan said:

Thanks guys, I'll learn to be more explicit in the future when I really mean some type of offensive/trick play.

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There was a 2 point conversion a couple of years back where he was next to Brady in the Shotgun but he false started, it looked like that might have been an Edelman pass had it not been for the flag.

Onedaful said:

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"I don't wanna lose your love, toniiiiiiight"

...awkward yet fitting song playing.

strngplyr said:

"I don't wanna lose your love, toniiiiiiight"

...awkward yet fitting song playing.

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HAHAHAHAHA! Didn't even realize..

Edelman has been a life saver the past two seasons.

I also think he's a great example of fans needing to be patient. I remember the boos when he first started fielding punts. Nobody expected him to become one of the best returners in league history. He would catch a bunch of passes when Welker was injured and had 37 catches as a rookie, then contributed on special teams while only catching 32 passes his next 3 seasons combined.

There were lots of people wondering if he was worth the roster spot after his 3rd season where he caught 4 passes and his defensive contributions had dwindled. He wouldn't break out as a star receiver until his 5th year. He was considered an injury-prone player for a while too, but hasn't missed a game the past two seasons.

Patience is something that gets overlooked quite a bit in today's NFL, and it's a credit to BB and the FO for sticking with him.

convertedpatsfan said:

Patience is something that gets overlooked quite a bit in today's NFL, and it's a credit to BB and the FO for sticking with him.

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Given how much less patience they showed for other young receivers like Tate and Price, I'm guessing it's also a credit to the work ethic and determination to improve that Edelman was showing behind the scenes.

patchick said:

Given how much less patience they showed for other young receivers like Tate and Price, I'm guessing it's also a credit to the work ethic and determination to improve that Edelman was showing behind the scenes.

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That's a great point. And let's be honest, Edelman is a bit psychotic in terms of his obsession to improve as a football player, and I mean that as the highest form of compliment.

this is also coming from the same guy who said mallett had "first round arm talent"

convertedpatsfan said:

Edelman has been a life saver the past two seasons.

I also think he's a great example of fans needing to be patient. I remember the boos when he first started fielding punts. Nobody expected him to become one of the best returners in league history. He would catch a bunch of passes when Welker was injured and had 37 catches as a rookie, then contributed on special teams while only catching 32 passes his next 3 seasons combined.

There were lots of people wondering if he was worth the roster spot after his 3rd season where he caught 4 passes and his defensive contributions had dwindled. He wouldn't break out as a star receiver until his 5th year. He was considered an injury-prone player for a while too, but hasn't missed a game the past two seasons.

Patience is something that gets overlooked quite a bit in today's NFL, and it's a credit to BB and the FO for sticking with him.

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I spent years arguing with a guy on ESPN with the handle of "MrScratch" who refused to believe that Edelman's lull in production was due to anything but NE systematically reducing his role. I offered up his injuries and redundancy with Welker and how in the beginning of 2012 NE was clearly trying to work Julian in and how impressive he was in the preseason...

The only thing any of my arguments convinced him of was a lack of critical thinking on my part.

One time I mentioned how I heard from a quasi-inside source that the Patriots felt like Edelman could reasonably replace Wes' production if forced to do so. I had that thrown in my face for a few years.

Scratch was in his glory when Edelman could find few suitors last year and had to return to NE on a minimum contract. When I wrote this article for patsfootballfans about why the team would choose Edelman over Michael Jenkins (which was going against consensus at the time, I swear!), he really laid into me. I wish the comments were still there because it would be fun to indulge in a little schadenfreude.