Edelman's second-half disappearance proved costly to the Patriots
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| BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF |
Regardless of who you choose to blame for the offensive unit's stuttering, it was clear that they could not get anything going in the second half. One of the main reasons for this was the essential absence Julian Edelman. If there is any player on this team that is Brady's go-to when they need a quick momentum boost, it's slot receiver and Wes Welker 2.0, Julian Edelman. In the first half #11 went off and finished the game with a total of 6 catches for 95 yards on top of 2 rushes for 21 yards. He was firing on all cylinders and the Patriots offense was much more fluid.
The second half was a different story, however. Edelman did not get a single reception and Brady's unit looked lost. There was basically nothing good that came out of the second half for the Patriots offense. Mike Felger of CSNNE believed that Edelman was the X factor and momentum builder, and not giving him the ball was a mistake on the Patriots' part:
"I don't know, I think they should have fed Edelman more, because that gets Tom Brady going." said Felger. "That, to me, was a mistake on the coaching or the game plan, or maybe give Miami credit if they did something special."
It's true that Brady can be a bit streaky; when he's hot he's hot, but when he's off, it takes a few short completions to get his mojo back. Wes Welker used to be his favorite target in situations like that. A few 3-5 yard gains and before you know it, the offense is firing again. Julian Edelman has without a doubt become that player now. Like Felger said, either the Patriots gameplan/backup plan was completely off or the Dolphins did a great job of taking Edelman out of the game. Either way, with Rob Gronkowski still easing his way into a full return, Edelman is clearly Brady's most important weapon when it comes to establishing a presence.
Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18
