New England Patriots: Julian Edelman has a lot to prove
By Sam Minton
Now that Tom Brady is gone, Julian Edelman and the New England Patriots have a lot to prove.
The 2020 NFL season will be interesting for a lot of reasons. The New England Patriots have a lot to prove.
Without Tom Brady, all bets are off. Bill Belichick and the rest of the team need to prove they can win without the greatest quarterback in history of the NFL.
This will also be an important season for Julian Edelman. A lot of critics discount Edelman’s success due to Brady. In 2020 Edelman can prove that isn’t the case.
Last season we saw that Edelman still has plenty of gas left in the tank. He had 100 catches for 1,117 receptions and 6 touchdowns.
After that season you would think that Edelman would be taking it easy. After winning 3 Super Bowls you wouldn’t think that he has a lot to prove.
But that isn’t the case. It seems like Edelman is as motivated as he has ever been.
Asked one #Patriot about Julian Edelman's mindset this season. JE's been a regular at throwing sessions. "Julian is Julian. He hates excuses. He hates to lose. He's already got the red ass about this season. People thinking we're no good and (that) he's just a product of Brady."
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) June 8, 2020
That is exactly what Patriots fans should want to hear. If the Patriots are going to be successful they need Edelman to have around 100 catches and 1,000 yards.
Patriots fans may love Edelman but that hasn’t been the case for the rest of the NFL. As stated above sometimes people think that Brady deserves more of the credit than Edelman.
But we have seen Edelman make some amazing plays. Without him, you question if the Patriots win some of their Super Bowls. Especially in Super Bowl LI, he made some crucial catches.
It doesn’t necessarily surprise me to see Edelman so motivated. That’s the type of guy he is. We love Jules but he is a bit of a hardo. He only knows one speed and that is going full throttle.
Edelman will be the failsafe for the offense in 2020. With Jarrett Stidham likely being the starter in 2020 he will need to get his feet under him in the first few games. Having a crisp route runner like Edelman who can consistently get open makes life easier for the inexperienced QB.
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So even though Edelman has accomplished a lot in his career he is still as motivated as he has ever been. That is why he is such a great receiver and he will continue to be even without Brady. Brady wasn’t the reason that Edelman succeeded. It was Edelman’s hard work and dedication that made him into the player that he is today.