What a stretch it has been for the New England Patriots since the 2001 season.
First came the head coach that nobody thought would have the success that he now can big about, until the end of time. Then came the quarterback.
Yeah, you know who he is…Tom Brady. The 6th round, 199th pick that ended up winning six Super Bowls for the franchise. But then came along something a little bit different. There was this quarterback out of Kent State. His name? Julian Edelman.
The emergence of New England Patriots legend Julian Edelman
Edelman was undersized. He was a guy that had to get everything through even harder work. We heard the nicknames throughout his career. “Minitron” and “The Squirrel” were only a few nicknames that Julian Edelman had throughout his Patriots career. He really could do a lot of different things on a football field and get away from bigger and sometimes faster defensive players, like a squirrel.
Julian Edelman played for the New England Patriots from 2009-2020. He came in as a guy that could do multiple things. He could play wide receiver. We obviously saw early on he could return punts as well. However, Edelman really took off in 2013 after Wes Welker left and the 5’10 wide receiver found himself becoming Tom Brady’s number one weapon.
Edelman finished his career with three Super Bowl titles, a Super Bowl MVP award after Super Bowl LIII, and over 600 receptions. Not to mention, Edelman is in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Julian Edelman was as consistent as a wide receiver as could be for Tom Brady. This led the way to a lot of receptions, consistent winning, and some Super Bowls along the way.
Julian Edelman and his surge with the New England Patriots in 2013
Julian Edelman really got his big break going into the 2013 season. The Patriots let Wes Welker walk and then Edelman took over. In his first season where he really got going, Edelman finished with 105 receptions for over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns.
Talk about quite the first real impactful season for Julian Edelman at wide receiver!
The Patriots found themselves with a 12-4 record during that season. They cruised through the AFC divisional round against the Colts with a 43-22 victory. But ultimately, they lost in the AFC championship to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos that season, 26-16.
However, if it wasn’t for Edelman; the Patriots don’t get to the AFC championship game that year. This is when we really started to see how good this kid was at that time. We saw the quickness. We were loving the fact that Edelman would fight for those extra yards just to get a first down. Truthfully, we were starting to fall in love with another Patriot not named Tom Brady. Yes, I know Brady was great and he deserves his respect and appreciation.
But this is about Julian Edelman. Brady needed somebody to throw to and Edelman was there for him from 2013 onward. Who would’ve thought this would only be the beginning of good things to come?
Julian Edelman in the Clutch for the New England Patriots
There were so many times in that era when the Patriots needed a big play. Who made those plays for the Patriots time and time again? You guessed it! Julian Edelman.
Edelman was known to have some of his biggest moments in the postseason. We all remember Super Bowl XLIX and the Malcolm Butler interception. But do we forget who put the Patriots up in that Super Bowl? You guessed it once again, Julian Edelman. The Patriots scored with just over two minutes to go on an Edelman touchdown reception. Keep in mind, they ran the same play earlier in the game that didn’t work. that’s how much Brady and Edelman trusted each other and the rest of the offense. Sure enough, the play worked and the rest is history.
Then we talk about the obvious one, the catch in Super Bowl LI. Not only was this one of the best plays in a Super Bowl, this was one of the best plays in NFL history. The concentration, the awareness, the pure athleticism to somehow catch that ball between two Atlanta Falcons defenders. It’s still amazing to this day.
Julian Edelman continued to come through in the clutch moments. Again and again. But his best performance, his most clutch performance, was still to come!
Julian Edelman in Super Bowl LIII
The most legendary performance in Julian Edelman’s career had to have come from Super Bowl LIII. This was essentially the end of the Super Bowl winning for the Patriots, in that era. We just didn’t know it yet as fans.
Edelman had his finest game of his NFL postseason career against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The 5’10 former Kent State quarterback had 10 catches in the game for 141 yards. This was good enough for Edelman to garner the Super Bowl MVP award.
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But this wasn’t like the other performances. Sure, Edelman was clutch once again for the Patriots. But it was the way he was doing it that was so impressive.
The Rams threw everything they could at Edelman and he just kept getting open. He found every single hole imaginable in the Rams defense. This is certainly a testament to how prepared Edelman was and his connection with Tom Brady through the years.
Obviously, we wish it would’ve ended better for Edelman. A 2020 knee injury? Yeah, he should’ve gotten a better ending! If people said Super Bowl LIII was his finale, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Julian Edelman will now and forever always be a Patriots legend. Thank you Jules!