Pats’ Edelman calls it a career
Quintessential Patriot left it all on the field
There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the Patriot Way, what it truly means, how it all came to be.
Here’s a helpful hint: Look no further than Julian Edelman.
The wide receiver, who announced his retirement from the game Monday in a video message, has embodied the term since arriving in Foxboro in 2009.
If anyone should be attached to the so-called Patriot Way, it’s No. 11. He’s been the quintessential Patriot.
He gave Bill Belichick everything he had, and then some. He went into a phone booth in Foxboro, changed from being a college quarterback, and turned into one of the best slot receivers in the game.
While there was concern at the time that Wes Welker couldn’t be replaced, Edelman quickly eased those fears.
Pound for pound, he was one of the toughest players to ever suit up with the Patriots. He played with injuries too numerous to count, took a pounding every week, and gutted out games practically every season.
During the 2019 season, which was one of his best statistical seasons, he caught 100 passes for more than 1,000 yards while playing with rib, shoulder and knee injuries.
Belichick certainly knew what he had in Edelman, and spoke eloquently about the receiver in a press release issued by the Patriots.
“By any measure of what constitutes an elite NFL career — wins, championships, production — Julian has it all,” Belichick said. “Few players can match Julian’s achievements, period, but considering his professional trajectory and longevity, the group is even more select. It is historic.
“This is a tribute to his legendary competitiveness, mental and physical toughness and will to excel,” Belichick went on. “Day in and day out, Julian was always the same: all out. Then, in the biggest games and moments, with championships at stake, he reached even greater heights and delivered some of his best, most thrilling performances.”
Edelman’s teammates also appreciated what he brought to the table every week, every game. Seeing him charge out of the tunnel, leading the Patriots with a sprint down the sideline during home games, then finishing off with a leaping fist pump, became a sign of what was to come.
Special teams captain Matthew Slater, who had the locker next to Edelman, had a pretty good handle on the wide receiver and what made him tick. He nicely summed up Edelman when asked about him in September.
“You talk about what makes Julian special, there are so many things that you can look at, point to,” said Slater. “To me it’s his work ethic — his willingness to put his body through pain and discipline and continue to fight to get better, to continue to fight, to compete.
“He’s a champion. He’s a clutch player,” Slater went on. “He may not be the flashiest guy on paper, he may not be the fastest guy, the biggest guy, but ultimately when you’re in clutch situations, clutch moments, and you need plays made, I can’t think of anybody I’d rather have than Julian Edelman.”
Any coach would have loved having Edelman. Belichick was the lucky one who snagged him out of Kent State, seeing all the possibilities.
The Patriots coach called him the “quintessential throwback player” who played with an “edge and attitude that would not allow him to fail under any circumstance.”
In that regard, it comes as no surprise Edelman is perhaps best known for making one of the most iconic catches in Super Bowl history. In a do-or-die drive late in Super Bowl LI, in which the Patriots trailed by 25 at one point, Edelman somehow came away with a Tom Brady pass, which was tipped by one of several Falcons defenders. Edelman dove between the bodies of players, and managed to catch the ball within a whisker of it hitting the ground.
The degree of difficulty on that catch was beyond ridiculous. But that was Edelman. He’s been one of the most clutch performers the Patriots have ever seen.
He moved the chains for first downs 396 times during his career. That memorable Super Bowl play was just one of them. But now, as he said in his video, he’s become one of the Foxboro faithful.
The Patriots released him with an injury designation prior to the receiver officially announcing his retirement.
It was time.
The knee problem that forced Edelman to miss 10 games last season is chronic.
There were no guarantees he could last a season. His issue wasn’t one surgery could totally fix.
In the end, it was a tough decision for Edelman, but the right one. While Edelman has been the champion of doing the impossible, never giving in, and never giving up, there wasn’t much of a choice given the condition of his left knee.
“I’ve always said I’m going to go till the wheels fall off … and they’ve finally fallen off,” Edelman said in the video.
In recent years, there’s been some debate about the possibility of the Patriots receiver landing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His candidacy would stem from his being with three Super Bowl-winning teams, earning an MVP in one of them, while also being the second-most productive postseason pass-catcher in NFL history.
Only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice has more catches during the playoffs. That carries some weight.
However it turns out, Edelman’s truly been a great Patriot, and one of Belichick’s best picks, arriving in the seventh round.
If he doesn’t get into Canton, which seems a long shot, he definitely deserves to be in the Patriots Hall of Fame. He’s one of the team legends, along with Brady, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown and Ty Law.
While he was never voted a captain, he’s been the heart and soul of the Patriots during the past 11 seasons.
He’s been the ultimate Patriot, one that will be hard to replace.