New England Patriots: Making a case for Wes Welker over Julian Edelman
Wes Welker’s production far exceeds what Julian Edelman has ever brought to the New England Patriots.
Super Bowl LIII is fast approaching for the New England Patriots, and so are bad sports takes. From Skip Bayless to Max Kellerman, the sports media community is filled with “characters” who constantly allow real-world bias to leak into their sports opinions.
This is expected because you’re not necessarily paid to be right, but sometimes the things sports analysts say is just flat out preposterous.
The other morning on NFL Networks “Good Morning Football”, former Lions and Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson said that Julian Edelman was “One of the best to ever do it” while adding “He should be in the HOF”.
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Now as ridiculous as that alone is, that is not what I have a problem with. Edelman is one of those most decorated postseason wide receivers ever, so if Burleson just values the postseason more than most do for statistics than I can see the slimmer of the rationale behind the statement.
Though I didn’t agree, it was the responses and polls from Twitter in regards to the comment that really left me in awe.
The general population didn’t agree either but did say that he was one of the best wideouts in Patriot history (so far, so good). Those remarks quickly turned into debates whether or not Julian Edelman was better than Wes Welker.
To my shock (and horror), Julian Edelman was winning these polls, and by a large margin. Almost every poll I saw was in at least the 70/30 range in favor of Jules, with comments explaining the rationale.
Some of these comments just seem preposterous. Things such as “Welker should carry Edelman’s Jock Strap” and “Edelman is better by a far margin” really showed me that recency biased was creating a false narrative.
Statistically, it isn’t even close
Just looking at the numbers alone, you could see why this one is such a head-scratcher. During Welker’s 6-year tenure with the New England Patriots, he had only one season where he did not have over 110 catches and over 1,100 yards. Welker was just an all-around stat monster while in New England.
Related Story. Why Julian Edelman deserves to be in Hall of Fame. light
His constant 100 yard reception seasons was something unprecedented from a receiver of his stature and he revolutionized the slot position. Welker also made 5 Pro Bowls and was on an All-Pro team four times during his illustrious career. Julian Edelman can barely even compare.
Julian Edelman has eclipsed the 100-yard catch mark just once and only has had two 1,000 yards season during his career with the Patriots. He is very reliable but was never the focal point of the offense.
Edelman has also never even made a Pro Bowl an All-Pro team in about the same amount of snaps while members of the team. Looking at the stats it isn’t even a comparison. Welker is far an above better, and it is undeniable.
Beyond Statistics
Beyond the stats, it is still hard to deny that Julian Edelman is better than Welker. Welker was one of the best route running wide receivers in history and had unreal separation skills. He could cut on a dime, and his slant routes really were something special. You know the Welker slant was coming, but you couldn’t stop it. The connection he had with Brady was unreal, and you could see that with his reception numbers while with the New England Patriots.
In his last few years in New England, Welker was also the focal point of the offense. The likes of Danny Woodhead and Benjarvis Green-Ellis made for a relatively weak running attack, which meant the Patriots had to resort to an air raid style of offense centered around that of Wes. Even with his size and stature, teams still couldn’t stop him, which really should be noted.
Next. New England Patriots: Julian Edelman’s relentlessness is HOF worthy. dark
Edelman has never been the first, and rarely the second option on the team in recent years. The first option, of course, has been Rob Gronkowski for the entirety of Jules career. Then seemingly league wash-ups such as Brandon LaFell have out-produced Edelman while on the roster. The run game has also been much better through out Edelman’s career, in which the Patriots have integrated it into their offense. Edelman just has never been nearly as valuable as Welker and that is easy to see.
Both Julian Edelman and Wes Welker are fantastic receivers. Both are New England legends that will hopefully be recognized in their years following the team. However, it is clear to me that Wes Welker was better than the current production of Julian Edelman.