Julian Edelman is one of Tom Brady’s closest friends. So naturally, Brady was one of the first people in the Medical tent after Edelman was carted off following a knee injury. The New England Patriots dominated last Friday night’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. But the injury Edelman suffered just two minutes into the game left a dark cloud over the otherwise impressive (in the first half) win.
Naturally, the Patriots odds for the 2017 season are unlikely to be drastically affected. But Edelman’s importance to the offense, especially in some of the biggest moments has already been well documented.
It is likely that the Patriots will get by without him. The 9.8 targets per game average the shifty receiver posted last season is impressive. But the Patriots have plenty of players on offense that they can rely on in Edelman’s absence.
If we dig further into Edelman’s numbers, his value becomes even more apparent. In the second half of games since 2013 where the Patriots are losing or up by one score or less, Edelman has been the most targeted receiver. He caught 14 of 22 targets in those situations, converting 11 into first downs.
That’s then kind of critical receiver Edelman is, but this isn’t unprecedented territory for the Patriots.
[Read more…] about Comparing Loss of Julian Edelman to 2013’s Offensive Turnover
I had the chance to review a copy of the championship edition of Michael Holley’s Belichick and Brady book and really enjoyed it. It was fun to re-live the past decade-and-a-half of Patriots football but solely through the lens of the two biggest characters at the center of it.
