Concerned About JE11

[DaBruinz]

Yeah, it is a little concerning.

I'm also wondering why Bennett was on the sideline for much of the 1st half (he got like, 5 targets eventually, but his absence was notable)

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm of the belief that BB doesn't want to use the 2 TE sets a lot so that other teams don't have tape on it.. That way it makes it much more effective down the stretch and in the games that matter.

 

[Clonamery]

Yeah, it is a little concerning.

I'm also wondering why Bennett was on the sideline for much of the 1st half (he got like, 5 targets eventually, but his absence was notable)

My Sources in Mountainview say the sky IS falling and that he does in fact hate Gronk.

 

[RobertWeathers]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm of the belief that BB doesn't want to use the 2 TE sets a lot so that other teams don't have tape on it.. That way it makes it much more effective down the stretch and in the games that matter.

Possibly. Hes also been nursing an ankle injury so maybe they tried to keep his snaps just a little bit lower.

 

[BobDigital]

I would say Jules was 90% out there today. He is going to need to share the ball but he didn't look as good as he has here at times. I am not worried about it as if it was serious they wouldn't ask him to play.

I love the weapons we have now though.

Gronk/Bennett/Hogan/Edelman and add in White or Lewis when he comes back.

That is hard to cover.

 

[FCB02062]

Not trying to start a sky is falling thread but I'm concerned that he has re-injured his foot and that seemingly has hampered his ability to run the kind of routes and make the kind of cuts that make him so special. Seemed like he and TB12 were out of sync on a couple of plays. Not sure if its footwork-related, etc.

With that said, clearly the foot is healthy enough to return kicks and punts which he did a bang-up job of yesterday so not 100% sure I am right.

Anybody else noticing what I think I'm seeing?

If he was injured I don't think he would have been out returning Cin last punt of the game...he looks fine to me

 

[Haley]

Based on snap count, I'd conclude BB doesn't share your concern.

 

[luuked]

@robertweathers I think one additional detail to consider is how often did Edelman get special attention (double cov) or cleared up space for other receivers to shine.

I don't have the time to look through the All22 for that but my point is that going just by targets or yardage stats is not necessarily the full picture (unless you are in it for fantasy purposes).

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I agree with the OP. Edelman has not been able to win 1-on-1 matchups against corners and safeties when get quick looks in isolation. Hopefully this is a strength issue where he will return to full strength, but I have definitely taken notice that he's not close to 100%, though still a valuable asset in the offense.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Based on snap count, I'd conclude BB doesn't share your concern.

While I appreciate the visual graphic, I think the OP's point has more to do with Edelman not being at peak performance...clearly he is still an important contributor and capable of playing the position at a high enough level.

 

[RobertWeathers]

@robertweathers I think one additional detail to consider is how often did Edelman get special attention (double cov) or cleared up space for other receivers to shine.

I don't have the time to look through the All22 for that but my point is that going just by targets or yardage stats is not necessarily the full picture (unless you are in it for fantasy purposes).

Nope. Don't play FF. Just watching the games.

 

[Haley]

While I appreciate the visual graphic, I think the OP's point has more to do with Edelman not being at peak performance...clearly he is still an important contributor and capable of playing the position at a high enough level.

I think that if BB thought Jules couldn't do the job well, he would have someone else doing it, at least in part. That's my point.

 

[QB12]

Not trying to start a sky is falling thread but I'm concerned that he has re-injured his foot and that seemingly has hampered his ability to run the kind of routes and make the kind of cuts that make him so special. Seemed like he and TB12 were out of sync on a couple of plays. Not sure if its footwork-related, etc.

With that said, clearly the foot is healthy enough to return kicks and punts which he did a bang-up job of yesterday so not 100% sure I am right.

Anybody else noticing what I think I'm seeing?

Clearly something's amiss. Not getting separation he's been in past and not nearly the dynamic weapon he's been. Hopefully he regains it soon.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I agree with the OP. Edelman has not been able to win 1-on-1 matchups against corners and safeties when get quick looks in isolation. Hopefully this is a strength issue where he will return to full strength, but I have definitely taken notice that he's not close to 100%, though still a valuable asset in the offense.

Thats the thing I think I'm seeing. He doesn't seem to be consistently getting the kind of quick separation he usually does. Straight-line speed hes fine.

IIRC with the broken bone he experienced and its susceptibility to re-break that he is wearing that metal plate still in his clete and that is impeding his ability to make sharp cuts, etc. Thought I read that somewhere. I'll need to dig.

 

[Dagg]

I dont think he is 100% but I also think we have a lot of other weapons so Im not entirely surprised his production is down. Might be more play design than anything based on alot of last week highlights it was te based scheme to make defense chose gronk or bennett and Brady would exploit those decisions by the defense. I think getting him creamed a few less times on the slants is a good thing. Also using white quite a bit on underneath routes as well

 

[bormio]

I don't think he has a plate. He was wearing different cleats than usual in the playoffs when he was. Has been wearing his old cleats this year.

 

[Haley]

Thats the thing I think I'm seeing. He doesn't seem to be consistently getting the kind of quick separation he usually does. Straight-line speed hes fine.

IIRC with the broken bone he experienced and its susceptibility to re-break that he is wearing that metal plate still in his clete and that is impeding his ability to make sharp cuts, etc. Thought I read that somewhere. I'll need to dig.

I do think he is having trouble making cuts at the moment. But I don't think it's something he can't play through or that won't soon improve.

Everyone is always playing through something, but to me, it looks like Jules is finally on the upswing. I think he will look a little better next week. But then again, I'm a bit of an optimist about these things.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Thats the thing I think I'm seeing. He doesn't seem to be consistently getting the kind of quick separation he usually does. Straight-line speed hes fine.

IIRC with the broken bone he experienced and its susceptibility to re-break that he is wearing that metal plate still in his clete and that is impeding his ability to make sharp cuts, etc. Thought I read that somewhere. I'll need to dig.

I'm thinking if he's playing on a re-broken foot, he's not playing 90%+ of snaps and returning punts, especially with all the depth there with Hogan and Amendola. My guess is it could be re-aggravated, maybe a tendon issue, or just a different injury altogether. Edelman's foot issues go way back, and I think he's had a lot of different ailments throughout the years. He looks to me right now much like he did in last year's playoffs, which was noticeably less quick but still able to be effective. This could just be his new normal, in which case he would still be a really good wide receiver. Let's remember the level he was at last year was reaching new heights for NFL quick target/YAC receivers, rivaling Welker's best, and many thought even better. Also, the man is 30 years old. I started to notice a split second difference with Welker around that age, and by the time he got to Denver, he was really slow and basically in his last productive season. Not saying Edelman is going down the tank or anything, but I'm not sure we can expect to see a return of the 2014-(first half)2015 version of Edelman. Obviously hope I'm wrong, but I'm just trying to objective and look at the peak and decline chart at the WR position; Edelman has played less snaps than most, but it has more to do with reflexes and speed than the ability to take hits.

Chris Hogan is super fast, which would make a slight decline in Edelman's explosiveness less important...Hogan has been running the downfield routes, and with his size and strength, he is a better option anyway.

 

[bormio]

Pats Pulpit says Edelman "dropped" a few balls he could have caught yesterday. Maybe I am blind, but all I remember was a pass way behind him over the middle and a corner route that was overthrown. JE has had drops, but some seem to be pushing this theme not in line with the facts. Anyone see that differently yesterday?

 

[pwes]

I find it hard to believe Edelman is out there playing injured. We don't need Edelman right now so playing him if he has an injury is just asking for trouble and i don't think BB would do that. He may be a little sore but honestly I think he has just slowed down be it age or recovering from his injury. And yes his cutting is severely lacking but that could be for a variety of reasons as well.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Pats Pulpit says Edelman "dropped" a few balls he could have caught yesterday. Maybe I am blind, but all I remember was a pass way behind him over the middle and a corner route that was overthrown. JE has had drops, but some seem to be pushing this theme not in line with the facts. Anyone see that differently yesterday?

Yea I wouldn't have called them drops. Maybe with better footwork he might have been in a better position to make the catch. I dunna know...