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julian edelman

Reiss/ESPNBoston: Patriots PUP List

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One of the last gut punches of the offseason is usually the announcement of the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which quickly tells you who isn’t quite fully recovered from offseason injury/surgeries. Often this list comes with surprises, but this year everything looks pretty straightforward.

Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola both recently underwent surgery after injury-plagued seasons. Dion Lewis and Shaq Mason made appearances at the final day of mini-camp but aren’t quite ready to jump into the action this week. Sebastian Vollmer’s status has been under-the-radar this offseason, but he went through plenty of small injury issues last season as well.

All had lingering issues that will need to managed early on.

The good news is that left tackle Nate Solder, who played just three full games in 2015, is not on the list. Also that zero members of the defense will start out on the sideline. That’s a great start for them, especially with so many physical players who had their fair share of injury issues last season.

The offensive pieces that are out will be vital in the long haul, especially Edelman and Lewis. Their absences will give more reps to younger players and hopefully spur their development. Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell would do well to take advantage of the extra time with Brady.

Players can come off the PUP list at any time. If they aren’t removed from the PUP list by the start of the regular season, they can be kept on it through the first six weeks of the season. At this point, it wouldn’t appear any of those opening camp on the list would be likely candidates to remain on the list into the season, but there can be a roster advantage to stashing someone away.

Dez Bryant recovery timeline may not bode well for Julian Edelman – CSNNE/Curran

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It took Bryant five months to get clearance to merely run and cut. If it takes five months for Edelman and his left foot to be cleared, that would put his timeline to begin doing the same things in mid-September.Obviously, everyone heals at different rates and one must allow for differences between the procedures the two players had done. And sources have expressed confidence that Edelman will be ready for training camp.

Source: Dez Bryant recovery timeline may not bode well for Julian Edelman

It’s pretty amazing how fast a player goes from a JAG to indispensable. Not to say Edelman was necessarily just a guy, but in his first four years with the Pats he had just four touchdowns and 69 catches. In the Pats 2011 AFC Championship season he had just four catches, and that was his third year in the league, a time when you’d think a receiver of Edelman’s current status would’ve been starting to hit his stride.

Now you read a report like the one above and you wonder what the Patriots would possibly do if Edelman misses extended time once again this season. The numbers for the Patriots’ offense without Edelman were ugly, especially on third down where their conversion rate dropped almost 20 percent.

Now at this point it still sounds like everyone’s expecting Edelman to be ready to go for training camp, but this speaks to a couple larger points.

First, the Pats must continue to develop wide receivers of all kinds. Everyone talks about needing the proverbial deep threat, but it’s just as important at this point to continue stockpiling “quick open” Z-receiver types as well. Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien will be guys to watch this summer, as will Chris Hogan.

Second, the Z-receiver spot in the Pats’ offense isn’t exactly plug-and-play but it’s pretty close. It may take a bit for a receiver to totally earn Brady’s trust, but once they do, they’re going to see plenty of targets.

So I’d preach patience this summer with the likes of Mitchell and Lucien, as well as Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter and Keshawn Martin. They might need to heavily rely on those guys sooner than we think.

Patriots OTAs Access Today!

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Patriots OTAs

Wes Welker at 2010 OTAs five months after an ACL tear.

Today the media gets access to the Patriots OTAs so we’ll get some pictures and observations to help quench our thirst for football here as we prepare to enter the worst part of the offseason, aka The Void.

It’s important to understand that as much as I’ll be ready to dissect every minute detail, at this point it’s about teaching, not competition. So as much as we’ll want to read into who’s playing where and when, jobs aren’t being won or lost at this stage of the offseason. If anything it’s a chance for everyone to get on the same page and get a fundamental understanding of how business will be done when training camp opens in two months.

However, it will be interesting to see who is participating. If there’s one thing we will get a good sense of, it’s who’s still in recovery mode and not quite ready to make it onto the field, even for light practices.

Some injured guys to be on the look out for:

Dion Lewis – Wes Welker was at OTAs in 2010 after tearing his ACL just five months earlier and while he was still managed into training camp and the regular season, it was an incredibly positive sign that his recovery was quickly headed in the right direction. Dion Lewis is almost seven months removed from his ACL tear, and with reports coming in that he’s on schedule to be ready for the season opener, his presence on the field would be a big step forward.

Julian Edelman – Edelman was spotted in a walking boot just a couple weeks ago after having a “cleanup procedure”. It seems unlikely that he’ll be on the field so soon after, especially since everyone knows what he’s capable of and there’s no need to push him.

Dont’a Hightower – Hightower had knee issues that bothered him last season, reportedly a sprained MCL that he hurt against the Broncos, then re-injured against the Titans. Hightower should be fine but with his physical style of play he could be one who has a lot more going on that we know. It’ll be reassuring to see him back in the mix, especially after his extended recovery from a torn labrum last season.

Nate Solder – Solder tore his biceps last season, but has popped up in various team photos in recent weeks. I’d expect him to be a near lock to be back at his starting left tackle spot, a welcomed site indeed.

LeGarrette Blount – Blount’s 2015 season ended with a hip injury but avoided surgery. However the Pats must be concerned with his durability as his new one-year deal includes a split if he gets injured. If he didn’t need surgery, Blount should be out there.

Aaron Dobson, Trey Flowers, AJ Derby and Darryl Roberts are other interesting players who ended their seasons on IR and worth monitoring for their attendance. Of course, there’s always a surprise injury absence or two as well. Guys who had surgeries that were never reported. That’s just how the Pats roll.

But at least it will be nice to see the team back on the field, a small nibble that will have to help get us through the upcoming worst part of the offseason

Edelman and Amendola Recovering from Offseason Surgeries

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Edelman SurgeriesFor some reason, bad injury news always seems to come in bunches and that’s been the case in the last week with reports that both Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola going under the knife during the offseason. Edelman had a “cleanup procedure” on the foot he broke against the Giants last year while Amendola had surgeries on both his left knee (that he sprained last season) and on his ankle (bone spurs).

Word is that both should be fine for the upcoming season, even if it potentially means opening training camp on the PUP list. I try to avoid the doom and gloom here on the blog, but it’s hard to just shrug off our two best receivers going under the knife. Amendola will be 31 this winter while Edelman turns 30 this coming Sunday.

This is just a reminder that just like Troy Brown and Wes Welker before them, inside receivers in New England are a good time for not a long time. The mileage adds up quickly after thirty and the end often comes before you know it. Troy Brown said he was never the same after knee surgery in the early 2000’s.

Not saying this is the beginning of the end for Edelman and Amendola, but it illustrates just how important it is to keep the receiver pipeline fresh. Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Hogan are really important pieces and it’s reasonable to think that to avoid last year’s offensive slowdown that happened without Edelman last year, one of those two newcomers must emerge as a trusted target.

The insurance is the lethal tight end combo of Gronk and Martellus Bennett. Bennett should not only give Brady another good target working the middle of the field, but also take away some of the attention that Edelman and Amendola get inside.

 

Julian Edelman’s foot recovering well, hasn’t required offseason surgery | Boston Herald

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Edelman is fully on track to participate in the offseason workout program. Because foot surgeries are so tricky, Pats receivers such as Aaron Dobson (2014) and Brandon LaFell (2015) missed huge chunks of the offseason workout program following their spring procedures. It’s important that Edelman won’t have to worry about the fallout of a second surgery.

Source: Julian Edelman’s foot recovering well, hasn’t required offseason surgery | Boston Herald

Certainly good news, especially after Edelman was seen limping and headed to the x-ray room after the season-ender. I think the bigger question is just how the Pats view the receiving corps after this year. LaFell couldn’t get healthy until mid-season and struggled to find a rhythm to the point where he was basically replaced by Keshawn Martin in the AFC Championship. Amendola battled injuries of his own, but 2015 made it clear that he can’t take the pounding Edelman takes. Edelman was once again all-everything, and his absence in the lineup severely limited what the Patriots could do.

So now what? Amendola is almost certain to at least have his deal re-worked, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him dismissed entirely – although that would open up the punt return duties and no one wants to put Edelman back into that role full time. I’m of the belief LaFell deserves to play out the last year of his deal. He’ll have plenty of motivation, and he’s a better player than he showed in 2015. At the very least, the Pats are not going to find a tougher outside receiver before 2016.

I’d like to see the Pats shift their slot role from someone like Amendola to a bigger body like free agent Mohamed Sanu. Amendola has made plenty of clutch catches but I’m worried his best (and healthiest) days are behind him.

Then of course there’s old friend Aaron Dobson, entering his fourth season having played just 24 games. No one is counting on him for much of anything as even last season he still exhibited the same issues (aside from injuries) he’s had all along — inability to make the tough catch or make anything happen after the catch.

Receiver should be an area to target both in free agency and the draft. I am okay keeping LaFell and Edelman in their roles, and Martin could develop into a nice fourth option, but the slot is an area it might be time to evolve a bit.

Patriots vs. Chiefs: The Return of IncrEdelman Playoff Ticket Giveaway!!

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Excited to announce I have a pair of tickets to give away courtesy of our friends at NRG! To get them I need to see your best #FanEnergy in a selfie and the theme… THE RETURN OF INCREDELMAN!!!!

Here are the specifics:

1. Tweet a pic of yourself/friends inspired by the Return of Julian Edelman.

2. Make sure to include/follow @PatsPropaganda, @NRGEnergy and tag #FanEnergy.

The cutoff will be Wednesday 9pm EST and a winner will be announced.

You’ve got three days. Make it Incredelman!