McDaniels takes the fall for Edelman’s struggles
Offensive coordinator says it’s his job to ‘get him going’
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knows how vital Julian Edelman is to the Patriots offense.
The spark plug receiver, who has always been a vital chain mover, has struggled of late, due in part to a bum knee that’s kept him limited in practices. He hasn’t had much impact since his career-outing in Seattle Week 2.
Speaking on a video conference Tuesday, McDaniels stressed the importance of trying to get Edelman more involved, as well as everyone else.
“Certainly Julian’s always a big part of what we want to try to do, and I need to do a good job of trying to get him going,” saidMcDaniels. “But, I think in the grand scheme of things, all of us need to do our jobs well and try to get contributions from everybody to be the most effective we can be.”
Edelman had two catches for eight yards in the 18-12 loss to the Broncos Sunday, while N’Keal Harry put up a bagel. The leading Patriots wideout in the game was Damiere Byrd, who had three catches for 38 yards.
McDaniels tried to get Edelman more involved, having him throw a couple passes with gadget plays, but the 34year-old receiver needs to be a go-to-guy for Cam Newton, if that’s still possible.
McDaniels indicated he not only wants to get Edelman back in the groove, but wants to see production across the board from his skill players. That’s his goal going forward.
“The best way to play offense is for everybody to contribute and to find ways for everybody to contribute. That’s certainly my job. I’m going to do the best I can to get him involved, but also try to get production from all the skill positions on the field,” he said. “Every offensive unit is always better when there’s a lot of people that are contributing and you’ve got to stop a lot of things. Whether it’s our receivers, our backs, our tight ends, the more guys that are producing and making plays, and creating first downs and opportunities to make bigger plays, the better off we’re going to be.”
McDaniels wouldn’t use the lack of practice time due to COVID-19 as an excuse for Harry being in a funk, unable to separate from defenders. The second-year receiver just has to play better.
“We all gotta go out there and do our jobs properly. The situations are what they are, we can’t control those,” he said.
“What we can control is our preparation and our ability to go out there and focus on our assignments.”
O-line help on the way?
The possibility exists for center David Andrews (broken right thumb) to come off IR and be available to play Sunday against the 49ers. Shaq Mason, who has been nursing a calf injury, but was also placed on the reserve COVID19 list thanks to being in close contact with an infected player, might also return.
Against Denver, the offensive line wound up scrambled like an egg with all the movement forced by COVID-19 as well as injuries.
McDaniels lauded the group for the effort, as several lineman wound up playing several positions on both sides of the line.
“I give our guys a lot of credit. We had a lot of guys play multiple positions, and prepare to play multiple positions last week. They deserve a lot of credit for being able to go in there and function. … It’s a challenge, but that’s what we prepare hard for, our guys prepared hard last week for all the potential possibilities that we might encounter on Sunday. They went out there, played hard, lined up, did their job for the most part, and gave us a chance.”
McDaniels also had a positive review of second-year lineman Hjalte Froholdt, who saw his first action at right guard.
“Hjalte played hard. He’s a physical guy, works hard. He’s worked hard to improve at center and guard. He stepped in there and I thought he performed admirably … he did some good things.”
Belichick keeps pumping up Kittle
Speaking with the San Francisco media Monday on a conference call, Bill Belichick was effusive in his praise of George Kittle, saying the 49ers tight end was, “as good as anybody that I’ve coached.”
He piled on Tuesday speaking with local reporters, comparing him favorably with Mark Bavaro, John Mackey, but once again making no mention of Rob Gronkowski.
“I think he’s as good as anybody I’ve seen — maybe not as good as Mackey, but you could put him up there with just about anybody you want to put him up there with in terms of blocking, receiving and everything else,” said Belichick. “Bavaro was a great, great blocker and a top receiver, but I would say Kittle’s ability in the passing game is pretty special. He’s a great player. We’ll get a chance to look at him in person on Sunday.”