Every Friday during the NFL season, Tom E. Curran & Phil Perry will go head-to-head and offer their own takes on a Patriots or NFL-related question. Today, they discuss if it makes sense to go without Julian Edelman for the next three games.
SHOULD THE PATRIOTS GIVE JULIAN EDELMAN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS OFF?
There are certain games when you may not need him Not because the offense is so prolific it because the Patriots defense is clearly going to overwhelm whoever they’re dealing with.
And the next three seem like likely candidates.
But if the great Tom Brady is already running chagrined because he feels he’s got no options, if you take Edelman out of the mix how long will his face be then?
Epic long face.
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No. As much as the Patriots are going to need a bouncy frisky little squirrel when the actual competition rolls around Julian Edelman needs to play as much as Julian Edelman can play.
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This defense is so good right now that this conversation — should the Patriots bench their best receiver for most of the next month? — might not be as ludicrous as it sounds. The Patriots will need Julian Edelman for the long-haul if they’re going to win another Super Bowl. The Patriots will not need Edelman these next three weeks.
Easy. Sit him down.
But there’s an added benefit to benching Edelman that goes beyond simply getting the 33-year-old healthy. It might force Tom Brady to develop a rapport with some of his younger receivers.
We’ve documented Brady’s recent run of lukewarm endorsements for Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski. (And he doesn’t sound all that optimistic about what N’Keal Harry will be able to do if and when he returns from injured reserve.) With Edelman on ice, letting his ribs heal up, that’d mean more reps for Meyers and — if all goes well for the unheralded one-time college quarterback — maybe a new member of Brady’s Circle of Trust.
It’s a win-win. And it’ll be a win-win-win on the schedule, even if Edelman sits for three weeks.
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