What if Edelman doesn't play?

[varjao]

To be honest I'm more worried with Amendola. Edelman will play just fine, Dola on the other hand has a bum knee and he was vital last playoff run. I wish they didn't IR Dobson so fast to free up the roster spot for rotational bottom end jags who never play anyway.

Scott Chandler also needs to show up but my expectations are low.

 

[Ring 6]

A good guess why people are making the assumption is based on the following:

It's been nine weeks since JE sustained a six to eight week injury.
JE has practiced for several weeks.
Based on all available video.....medical personnel have universally stated this injury is not an anomaly.
Lack of relapse stories......JE wanting to play stories.
Universal decision to maximize health on key players.....BB showing AGAIN he's smarter that patsfans.com in prioritizing.

Having this be a mentally big blow to fans is your fault.

What's baffling is a smart guy like you is so paranoid and dour. What are you expecting? JE to split out wide in crutches?

All of that is speculation.
You don't even know for sure what the injury is, nor do the 'medical personnel' who 'universally stated' something about an injury to a patient they never examined.
It certainly is not a good sign that he couldn't play in critical games down the stretch. The concept that he could and BB chose not to is pure unadulterated speculation, with zero confirmation.

I really hope your guess is right, but it is still just a guess.

 

[upstater1]

I don't see LB as a big need. We play nickel over 75% of the time, so what we need is a part time player who can jump in when there is an injury, and some depth.

When Collins or Hightower go down, we are a huge mess back there. I watch Freeney, he is a giant liability.

 

[ViperGTS]

That's is the hope. Can you share with me how you know he is ready? Why hasn't he played if he is?
I get that the timeline and vague 'evidence' gives hope, but to say he is definitely ready is just not something we can reasonably know.

I know these facts that make me know it's a definite he will play (barring re-injury or a new injury or getting abducted by aliens).

1) An NFL player will not be in a practice field if the injury he sustained can be made worse by practice.
2) He has been practicing for a month, albeit on a limited basis which is natural for rehabbing athletes.
3) That fact combined with the video of him catching and cutting in drills is something he has to be cleared to do, and has to be healed to the point to do so.
4) Why hasn't he played? Over cautious. BB isn't a moron. He knows with a foot the longer the better no matter if the scans show he's ready. They have and had a bye locked up.

Anymore?

 

[Ring 6]

When Collins or Hightower go down, we are a huge mess back there. I watch Freeney, he is a giant liability.

I don't see backup in case of injury as a high priority. I think upgrading key positions is more important

 

[Ring 6]

I know these facts that make me know it's a definite he will play (barring re-injury or a new injury or getting abducted by aliens).

1) An NFL player will not be in a practice field if the injury he sustained can be made worse by practice.
2) He has been practicing for a month, albeit on a limited basis which is natural for rehabbing athletes.
3) That fact combined with the video of him catching and cutting in drills is something he has to be cleared to do, and has to be healed to the point to do so.
4) Why hasn't he played? Over cautious. BB isn't a moron. He knows with a foot the longer the better no matter if the scans show he's ready. They have and had a bye locked up.

Anymore?

1) Many players, including Edelman, practice before they can play.
2) That has nothing to do with when he will be ready.
3) Being able to run, cut and catch a pass is not the same as game ready.
4) I do not buy that BB doesn't care about HFA. IMO it is a creation to make people feel better about the end of the season.

I would be ok with it's encouraging that he could be ready. No way in the world is it definite. I'll rephrase that. No way in the world do we have enough information to know whether it is definite.

 

[BobDigital]

Good and in all honesty based on the timeline we did not rush him back. Put me with the ones who feel with a healty Edelman - Gronk and Amendola the Patriots can beat anybody anywhere.

Disagree a bit. I'd say the keys for offense skill guys are Edelman, Gronk and White currently. Amendola is good but he a tick below White for importance once Edelman is back

 

[Mack Herron]

Who isn't on target to be game ready for the next game?

Ebner shows up to practice with arm in cast

FOXBORO – The availability of safety Nate Ebner for the Patriots Divisional Round game next weekend will be a source of interest. Ebner showed up to the Patriots’ Thursday walkthrough wearing a bulky cast on his arm.

Sebastian Vollmer, Chandler Jones, Donta Hightower, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola all were out there as well. Amendola embraced Alex Guerrero, Brady’s body coach, as he came onto the field.

Sealver Siliga, who missed last Sunday’s game in Miami because of a family emergency, was not spotted at the start of practice.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

If Edelman plays, I hope the rest of the crew around him don't slack off...blinders on, pedal to the metal for every single one of those 53.....

 

[ViperGTS]

1) Many players, including Edelman, practice before they can play.
2) That has nothing to do with when he will be ready.
3) Being able to run, cut and catch a pass is not the same as game ready.
4) I do not buy that BB doesn't care about HFA. IMO it is a creation to make people feel better about the end of the season.

I would be ok with it's encouraging that he could be ready. No way in the world is it definite. I'll rephrase that. No way in the world do we have enough information to know whether it is definite.

Your number 3 point is nonsensical. Doing those things has only one meaning. The injury is healed. So why then, wouldn't he be ready? That was the week of the Jets game. Build up more strength and conditioning over the next 4 weeks. No brainer.

Keep trying. It's not working.

 

[Ring 6]

Your number 3 point is nonsensical. Doing those things has only one meaning. The injury is healed. So why then, wouldn't he be ready? That was the week of the Jets game. Build up more strength and conditioning over the next 4 weeks. No brainer.

Keep trying. It's not working.

Yes, it only has one meaning, that you can begin doing those things.

Not sure what you think I am trying to do, other than claim that I cannot diagnose the medical condition and game readiness of the player from comments from 'medical people' who haven't examined him or reading the tea leaves of what reporters who are not observing the entire practice are saying they saw him do.

My guess is that when the injury report comes out he is listed as questionable, and that he will be a game time decision.
It appears you expect him to not be on the injury report.
I guess we will see, and I hope you are right.

 

[TBR]

Edelman's last game action before the season opener was the SuperBowl. Zero pre-season snaps due to a nagging injury.

Yet he looked like his normal self in the opener and had 11 rec, 97 yards.

This guy is immune to rust.

 

[Ring 6]

Edelman's last game action before the season opener was the SuperBowl. Zero pre-season snaps.

Yet he looked like his normal self and had 11 rec, 97 yards.

Not apples to apples since he participated fully in camp, but encouraging.

 

[SVN]

Its natural the offense will take a little while to rediscover even if we get all these guys back healthy.I expect the first playoff game to be like that.If we get past the first game, the offense should play better in the 2nd one. At least that is what I hope.

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

This team hasn't finish this poorly since 2009. Never lost 4 out of the last 6 games. In 2009 they had a big injury and they where blown out by the rats. They gonna need a heck of a turnaround.

 

[Deus Irae]

Ebner shows up to practice with arm in cast

So the biggest issues at practice were Siliga (personal issue) and the backup to the backup at safety....?

I think they can overcome that.

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

I honestly think Edes will play, and has been able to play for days. The Oline will be the biggest problem IMO. I think this team is going to play much better. God knows what's been going on the last few week, but I think BB had good reason for it. I know there's probably not much film that's going to help the opponent, because I highly doubt that is the team we will see in a few weeks. TB, himself said "we will be a different team in a few weeks". I don't think it will be a major difference, but I do believe it will be enough to give us a very good chance to get to the big one. Barring any further injuries. BTW, I have little confidence in LaFell. I cringe when I hear or read his name. Hopefully he can help with Edes, Dola and Gronk out there. All in all, I feel pretty good about a comeback from the mess we've seen lately

 

[patsfanincleveland]

All of that is speculation.
You don't even know for sure what the injury is, nor do the 'medical personnel' who 'universally stated' something about an injury to a patient they never examined.
It certainly is not a good sign that he couldn't play in critical games down the stretch. The concept that he could and BB chose not to is pure unadulterated speculation, with zero confirmation.

I really hope your guess is right, but it is still just a guess.

Unless Nostadamus is secretly posting under a different name, nobody knows the future with exact certainty. All anybody can do is gather all available information and try to connect the dots.

It's better than being in despair refusing to connect any dots.

Why is not playing guys a "bad" sign? BB is the totality of his experience.

Based on patsfans.com, 2009 is considered the worst year in the BB era. What people forget is that the week before the Welker debacle, Week 17 in Houston.......Week 16 saw the team produce a dominating 35-0 win at home against Carolina. It was the first week that year, that the team performed in all aspects and was a great sign going forward.

On the episode of BB in the series, "A Football Life", there was the speculation before the game on the validity of playing Welker on that disaster field.

We all saw how that worked and what followed.

Frankly, the best guess is BB is haunted by that decision.

BB is inherently flexible and learns from his experience. That's what makes him the GOAT.

...........and patsfanincleveland generally agrees with the concept of playing players.

 

[Mack Herron]

So the biggest issues at practice were Siliga (personal issue) and the backup to the backup at safety....?

I think they can overcome that.

Yeah, I don't think you can make a strong case for any key guys not playing, maybe Ebner, Waddle, Freeny could be inactive due to health reasons. The issue for me, as was stated earlier, is how they will play. Interestingly, the guys who played the worst Sunday were the OL--among the healthiest.

 

[Ring 6]

Unless Nostadamus is secretly posting under a different name, nobody knows the future with exact certainty. All anybody can do is gather all available information and try to connect the dots.

That has been my point all along. The dots have not connected yet.

It's better than being in despair refusing to connect any dots.

Who is in despair? The dots are not connected yet.

Why is not playing guys a "bad" sign? BB is the totality of his experience.

Players sitting out is a bad sign for their availability next game. Saying BB didn't care about HFA is rationalizing.

Based on patsfans.com, 2009 is considered the worst year in the BB era. What people forget is that the week before the Welker debacle, Week 17 in Houston.......Week 16 saw the team produce a dominating 35-0 win at home against Carolina. It was the first week that year, that the team performed in all aspects and was a great sign going forward.

On the episode of BB in the series, "A Football Life", there was the speculation before the game on the validity of playing Welker on that disaster field.

We all saw how that worked and what followed.

Frankly, the best guess is BB is haunted by that decision.

If that were the case he would have sat Brady, Gronk and Amendola.

BB is inherently flexible and learns from his experience. That's what makes him the GOAT.

...........and patsfanincleveland generally agrees with the concept of playing players.

There is a difference between saying BB is a genius and concluding that the only reason Edelman didn't play is because he could have and BB outsmarted everyone. If he is a genius (which he probably is) he would have played all of his healthy players to get the 1 seed, or if he didn't care (which I do not believe) he would have sat Brady and Gronk.
Picking both sides is only a rationalization to feel better about the pathetic end of the season.