Julian Edelman

[RobertWeathers]

Rowe is not bad against number 2 or 3 receivers. He just can’t handle the number 1s.

....and inside the numbers he doesn't have the quickness to keep with smaller, shiftier receivers.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Keionta Davis could be a possibility too he's simply not good.

4 games into his NFL career and you are saying he sucks. Nice patience with young players there.

 

[PatsFan2]

4 games into his NFL career and you are saying he sucks. Nice patience with young players there.

Davis would easily make our PS if that make you feel better.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Davis would easily make our PS if that make you feel better.

I could care less about Davis. What I do care about is providing young players every opportunity to develop and learn.

Saying he sucks after 4 games is not enough time for a proper evaluation.

 

[maineman209]

This is why I don’t expect much out of him this week. He’ll get a lot of snaps but I’m not sure the timing with Brady is going to be there. Thankfully, it’s the colts and not chiefs.

Indy's defense through 4 games, though not "great", has still been much better across the board than KCY's.

 

[jimnance]

Excited to see JE back.
He looks explosive and quick.
But he hasn't played in a real game in over a year.
I would expect limited snaps, maybe 2/3 of his normal workload. We need him for the long haul.
Plus we don't really need him to whip Indy.
Can't wait for Thurs.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Indy's defense through 4 games, though not "great", has still been much better across the board than KCY's.

Yes, they definitely gave Philly a run for their money a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure Bill will harp on this this week.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Not a bad idea for him. People might actually take him seriously.

I think its too late for that...even for conservatives like me.

All he can do is implement policies that make a positive difference for the country and world and keep his mouth (and tweets) shut.

 

[Bradyking12]

Can't wait to see the squirrel back in action.

 

[Angelpats]

Rowe is not bad against number 2 or 3 receivers. He just can’t handle the number 1s.

He’s really not that good against the 2 or 3s either. He makes the same mistakes every time in regards to ball awareness. Jackson’s int is something Rowe rarely anticipates.

 

[oceansizer]

Excited to see JE back.
He looks explosive and quick.
But he hasn't played in a real game in over a year.
I would expect limited snaps, maybe 2/3 of his normal workload. We need him for the long haul.
Plus we don't really need him to whip Indy.
Can't wait for Thurs.

I believe more in Edelman's hands than any other receiver in our team even if his last game was long time ago.

 

[Pats2000]

Welcome back!!! You have been missed.

Edelman, White, Gordon, Gronk = decent weapons for Brady.

Pretty amazing considering who we lost coming into the season.

 

[jah]

4 games into his NFL career and you are saying he sucks. Nice patience with young players there.

You can only be patient with 53 guys at once.

 

[1960Pats]

A little "bookkeeping" guesswork ...

Teams with players coming off 4-game suspensions are usually granted at least a 1-week practice exemption for them, a period during which they're allowed to practice with the team before being activated to the roster. With the Pats having a Thursday night game, they may even be able to get a 10-day exemption for Edelman. I'd guess that the Pats will take advantage of the exemption for at least this week.

Regardless, I think that the Pats need to activate Edelman for the Colts game by 4pm Wednesday to be able to play him on Thursday. The Pats have only today, Tuesday and Wednesday in which to "practice", and I'm guessing that only Tuesday will be more than a walkthrough or meeting/film session. That's not much of a window in which to evaluate Edelman's "game fitness", so it's still possible that he doesn't get activated this week and, thus, doesn't play Thursday night.

However, if the Pats DO activate Edelman today, that goes out the window.

The Pats don't need to make a corresponding roster move until Edelman is activated. I'm guessing that move will be one of Rowe or Hollister going to IR.
-- Rowe apparently has re-injured his groin, an issue that caused him to miss 8 games last season
-- Hollister's "chest" injury has kept him OUT the past two games. I really don't know what a "chest injury" incurred from a "hard landing" could be aside from a bruised, or even cracked, sternum. If this is that case, it could certainly be IR-worthy.

With only $1.056M in available cap space, pretty much every roster move the Pats make from here on out will have significant cap implications.

For example (if I'm figuring correctly), Edelman being on suspension for the past four weeks has saved the Pats something over $500k in cap costs. Moving Rowe to IR may save another $250k over the next 13 weeks, depending on his "injury split salary". Leaving the PSquad at 9 instead of the full 10 saves the Pats about $98k over the next 13 weeks.

Most importantly, if/when the Pats bring someone back from IR, it will reduce their current cap space.

I thought that I read or heard somewhere that the Pats' players have been surprised at how far along Edelman has come in his recovery. I hope that wasn't just a dream.

 

[maineman209]

Rowe is not bad against number 2 or 3 receivers. He just can’t handle the number 1s.

In two games, 91 snaps, Rowe has given up:
... 6/7 tgts (86%), 90 yds (15.0 ypc), and 2 TDs.
... He had 1 PD and 7 total tackles.

In FOUR games, 170 snaps, JMac has given up
... 6/11 tgts (55%), 52 yds (8.7 ypc), and 0 TDs
... He's had 1 PD and 14 total tackles.

Only Gilmore (264 snaps) has allowed as many as 2 TDs.
... 9/22 tgts (41%), 84 yds (9.3 ypc)
... Gilmore also has a pick, 2 PDs, 1 FF and 19 tackles.

Only JJ (190 snaps) has allowed more yards than Rowe - 131.
... 61 of those yards, and the lone TD that JJ has allowed, came in wk-2, when JJ got tripped up by Gilmore on the pick-play that sprung Westbrook.
... aside from that one play: 6/17 (35%), 70 yards (11.7 ypc)
... JJ also has 4 PDs and 17 tackles
... JJ has also played 66 ST snaps (Rowe = 0)

Rowe's completion % allowed is marginally worse than even Roberts'.

Among Pats' 11 defenders who've been targeted more than once, Rowe has been the worst in coverage. That was pretty much true last season, too (yes, he was statistically worse than Butler last year, and much worse than JJ).

 

[maineman209]

I believe more in Edelman's hands than any other receiver in our team even if his last game was long time ago.

In 2013 thru 2015, Edelman's catch rate averaged 69.2%.
In the 2013 & 2014 playoffs, his catch rate averaged 68.9%.

In the 2015 post-season, his catch rate was 58.6%.
In the 2016 regular season, his catch rate was 61.6%.
In the 2016 post-season (at age 30), he averaged 58.3%, which was dragged down by a 38.5% catch rate in the SB.

In addition to recovering from an ACL, which may slow him down a bit, Edelman's catch rate(at age 32) may not be as fabulous as it once was. Tempering expectations a bit for this season, especially for the next few games, may be a prudent approach.

 

[maineman209]

I thought that I read or heard somewhere that the Pats' players have been surprised at how far along Edelman has come in his recovery. I hope that wasn't just a dream.

Recovering physical ability is one thing. Recovering game effectiveness is another level or two higher.

 

[Sicilian]

In 2013 thru 2015, Edelman's catch rate averaged 69.2%.
In the 2013 & 2014 playoffs, his catch rate averaged 68.9%.

In the 2015 post-season, his catch rate was 58.6%.
In the 2016 regular season, his catch rate was 61.6%.
In the 2016 post-season (at age 30), he averaged 58.3%, which was dragged down by a 38.5% catch rate in the SB.

In addition to recovering from an ACL, which may slow him down a bit, Edelman's catch rate(at age 32) may not be as fabulous as it once was. Tempering expectations a bit for this season, especially for the next few games, may be a prudent approach.

Catch rates can be telling, but also require some context (that I admittedly don't have in this case). One high level observation though would be that, as his reputation has grown as a wide receiver, considerably more attention has been paid to him by defenses. This can lead to lower catch rates as he faces stiffer competition. Not that it's not a significant observation either way, just that catch rate only probably doesn't tell us everything we need to know.

 

[1960Pats]

Recovering physical ability is one thing. Recovering game effectiveness is another level or two higher.

At least we'll get the answer very early. JE has an uncanny knack for finding and exploiting the open spaces of the defense. That's what I'll be looking for.

 

[RobertWeathers]

You can only be patient with 53 guys at once.

Huh?