Re: For those who thought BB should have chosen Danny Watkins instead of Nate Solder.
I have never gotten the love for edelman. Can somebody tell me what this guy has done to get so much love? He returned a punt for a touchdown in a meaningless game against the dolphins in week 17. Is that it? That's the only play he made last year. He sucks as a wide receiver (can't catch), and can't play two games in row without getting injured. This is a classic case of overrating a overachieving little white player.
There are a multitude of reasons why many like Julian Edelman.
1) He was a 7th round draft choice who successfully made the conversion from QB in college to WR and ST in the pros. That's impressive.
2) He plays hard on every single snap. That can't be said for every player. For Edelman, he seems to give his all, even dispite his usual physical mismatches. We all remember the BAL playoff game, which led to all of the off season talk last yr (when WWW was hurt) in which some posters predicted an easy 100 catches for him in Welker's absence. Luckily, we didn't have to see that, but in 2009 he did have close to 40 catches. There's obvious potential there. Now if Edelman screws up future opportunites/larger sample size, I will be the first to admit that he should go.
3) He has versatility as a WR (albeit in a backup role due to the depth chart) and his punt returning talent is obvious. He's shifty, quick, can make guys miss. He has the potential to take it to the house on many of his touches. You may remember the week 17 game vs. MIA, but there have been some other nice punt returns too. Last yr the team averaged 15.3 yards per punt return when Edelman took over the duties.
4) He's extremely cheap, playing under a rookie contract. That's also very important.
5) He seems to have a good work ethic and people tend to like the underdog role. For all of the supposed "oft-injued" talk, Edelman has played in
26 of 32 possible games since being drafted. That includes 15 of 16 possible games last yr. So really, he was hurt for a few games during his rookie year. To me, that does not seem to be much reason for an "oft-injured" label.
6) He's young. 24 yrs old, and could be part of our future receiving core, especially if Welker is not re-signed (I certainly hope that Welker is re-signed). Regardless, there's really no reason NOT to keep him at this juncture.
