Edelman is irreplaceable to this offense

[kbitboc]

The numbers are skewed because they also lost Dion Lewis.

 

[gitgronked82]

he's absolutely huge. he covers up for our oline and makes some absurd plays with yac and catches in traffic.




however... i believe that dola, lafell, and gronk could still be enough for brady to win the super bowl, provided the defense keeps it up

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

Is Edelman being underestimated?

I concur...

 

[Galeb]

As important as Edelman is, the incompetence of the OL has been a much bigger factor.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

I see Gronk and Edelman as vital. Gronk often draws coverage or double teams (i.e., taken away) which leaves single coverage or soft zones for Edelman and Amendola.

If Gronk got injured before Edelman, I don't believe Edelman would be as effective.

I see Edelman as the metronome for this offense. His ability to get open quickly keeps the offense on time and in rhythm.

One thing is definitely true.. without both of them, this offense struggles mightily.

My exact thoughts. Well said.

 

[JetFan79]

Said it when Edelman went down. Gronk may be the most irreplaceable player in the game just because he's head and shoulders above any other TE in the league. For this team though, given its offensive philosophy and weak oline, Edelman is the MVP (short of Brady of course).

Very simply, if the Jets are playing the Pats, I'd much rather face them minus Edelman than w/o Gronk. The offense is much more potent w/Edelman. Without him, Gronk can be doubled and the rest of the O decently contained while Brady takes hits.

 

[everlong]

The three things this offense needs to be most effective are a slot receiver, receiving back and an intermediate to deep threat. Be it Faulk, Brown and Branch or Faulk, Welker and Moss or Woodhead, Welker and Gronk or Lewis, Edelman and Gronk the offense needs those pieces. Obviously if you add in more pieces like Givens, Hernandez, Amendola, etc it becomes unstoppable but they at a minimum need three functional pieces.

When Lewis went down you could function with JE, Gronk and a lesser piece of White because you still had Amendola and Chandler as complementary pieces. Then JE does down and while DA isn't the same he's still closer than White is to Lewis or Chandler to Gronk, exponentially closer. Right now you have 95% of your original slot receiver, 50% and I'm probably being kind of your TE and 50% of your receiving back and all the complimentary pieces are also diminished since they are now your starters.

JE is the best slot receiver in the game today but you could would be fine with DA if Gronk and Lewis had stayed healthy.

 

[Kontradiction]

The way that the offensive line is currently constructed, Edelman is probably the most important cog. He gets open quickly and gives Brady a valve for a quick release. Without him, Brady has to hold the ball longer while routes develop down the field and the pass protection is just not up to snuff. I think what we've seen since he's been out is that the issues along the OL from early in 2014 never went away and instead were masked by quick passes. If the OL were playing better, I don't think Edelman's loss would be as important.

 

[Family]

Is Gronk's blocking on ignore for this thread? How was the blocking against the Eagles? I know Denver pressured Brady too, but that was a road game in a tough place against a better defense.

You can line Gronk up anywhere and have him do almost anything. Judging his production by a bad receiving game is narrow thinking. His job could have been to take a double team and block which opens things up for Edelman.

 

[aluminum seats]

The way that the offensive line is currently constructed, Edelman is probably the most important cog. He gets open quickly and gives Brady a valve for a quick release. Without him, Brady has to hold the ball longer while routes develop down the field and the pass protection is just not up to snuff. I think what we've seen since he's been out is that the issues along the OL from early in 2014 never went away and instead were masked by quick passes. If the OL were playing better, I don't think Edelman's loss would be as important.

Agreed...a genuinely strong offensive line would make everything a hell of a lot easier.

It's actually amazing the offensive has functioned as well as it has...you had the monumental presence of Gronk, drawing two or three defenders, with the top-of-the-league receiving back and slot receiver as quick trigger options, which were then supplemented (key word) by Amendola, LaFell, Chandler, Blount, etc. Now those supplementary pieces are the key cogs. I mean, really, is there really anything else to talk about?

 

[Kontradiction]

Is Gronk's blocking on ignore for this thread? How was the blocking against the Eagles? I know Denver pressured Brady too, but that was a road game in a tough place against a better defense.

You can line Gronk up anywhere and have him do almost anything. Judging his production by a bad receiving game is narrow thinking. His job could have been to take a double team and block which opens things up for Edelman.

I don't think you'll find anyone who will try to argue that Edelman is better than Gronk. Gronk is a once in a generation freak of nature. He's a match-up nightmare all over the field. I think what people are arguing here is that Edelman's skillset hurts more in this offense since the OL can't consistently protect Brady to let him try to find an open man downfield. It also doesn't help the offensive production that the Pats don't exactly have quality depth at WR.

 

[tasmlab]

Gronk is a once in a generation player who can do pretty much everything. He is the most valuable non-quarterback since Jerry Rice.

Edelman is a great player for this team, but can be replaced by the next Troy Brown/Wes Welker.

Can the Pats sign this hypothetical next Troy Brown/Wes Welker?

Those are some pretty special Patriots, as is JE11. I'm not sure if this refutes or confirms the OP's sentiment.

IMO.

 

[luuked]

It is not only about Edelman getting open quickly, its more about the coverage he requires and thus space he creates for others. Same with Gronk, except that in addition to creating space his blocking abilities also make our playcalling more difficult to decipher.

Now without them teams can rush 4, flood the middle and challenge Brady to beat them with low percentage throws.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

As important as Edelman is, the incompetence of the OL has been a much bigger factor.

The OL is incompetent because of Edelman being missing.

The point is that the OL was never that good, but because Edelman could virtually always get open, and get open quick, that was all masked because Brady was throwing it two seconds after the snap. Even a bad OL could handle two seconds. Now with the injuries Brady has to hold it longer because people can't get open as quickly and the OL deficiencies that were always there are now being exposed.

 

[Jangles]

if GMs had to choose between randy moss and gronk, all GMs would pick randy moss and will not think twice about it.

I don't know about that

 

[Huckleberry1]

Hey everyone, let's quit on the season.....




We're doomed.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

Hey everyone, let's quit on the season.....




We're doomed.

Don't be that guy.

 

[BradyFTW!]

If I had to choose between having a healthy Gronk or a healthy Edelman, I would still choose Gronk. It's a testament to Edelman that it's even a conversation worth having, though.

 

[Family]

They have never lost with a healthy Gronk (season - not one game)

 

[Brady6]

The OL is incompetent because of Edelman being missing.

The point is that the OL was never that good, but because Edelman could virtually always get open, and get open quick, that was all masked because Brady was throwing it two seconds after the snap. Even a bad OL could handle two seconds. Now with the injuries Brady has to hold it longer because people can't get open as quickly and the OL deficiencies that were always there are now being exposed.

The hard truth is that LaFell, Amendola, and Chandler are all very good #3-#5 options in an offense, they cannot get open when they are matched up against the #1 and #2 CBs. Amendola was double covered on that interception at the goal line, he cannot beat a double team, LaFell was covered by the #1 CB, he cannot consistently get open against that type of defender. They just cannot do it when they are focuses of the other defense. Brady target LaFell and Amendola a combined 22 times last week and had less than 10 catches and 100 yards to show for it.