Intrigued by Edelman

I have a problem with Julian Edelman. He shouldn’t be wearing number “11” when a perfectly good “82” is available. “11” should be set aside for when the Patriots retire Drew Bledsoe’s jersey.

Numbers game aside, Edelman surprised me last week. When the Patriots drafted the quarterback from Kent State and declared they would turn him into a receiver, I wasn’t buying it. My gut told me he was New England’s idea of a “Wildcat” quarterback. Considering I’m not a fan of the Wildcat offense, I considered Edelman a waste.

On top of that, I thought about Kevin O’Connell, an accomplished runner when he played with San Diego State. “Why draft a QB strictly for Wildcat duty when there’s already one on the roster?” I thought.

New England proved again why they pick players and I sit in front of a laptop. Edelman came out in the first preseason game and became the star of the night, overshadowed only by the announcement that QB Michael Vick signed with Philadelphia.

Edelman showed great quickness returning a punt for a 75-yard score, and as a receiver he did a great Wes Welker impersonation, catching five passes for 37 yards.

Maybe the performance by this Golden Flash shouldn’t be so surprising. Edelman broke the Kent State record for single season total yardage and was responsible for 26 total touchdowns as a passer and runner. Edelman is also familiar with returning punts because he did that part-time for the Golden Flashes.

I don’t like heaping praises on a rookie based on one performance. One preseason game does not make a career. But he gives me reason to keep an eye on him as the preseason rolls along.

I said earlier that New England is in need of special teams performers to replace players that are no longer with the team. As of right now Edelman doesn’t return kickoffs, so a replacement for Ellis Hobbs’ production is still unknown. But if Edelman can be the everyday punt returner and do it well, it keeps veterans Welker and Kevin Faulk form pulling double-duty and keeps them fresh.

Edelman shouldn’t be so surprising if I did my research. The Kent State record he broke was last set by Cleveland’s Joshua Cribbs, another QB-turned returner. Great footsteps for Edelman to follow in, except Julian raised the standard. It would be interesting to see if Edelman could repeat his college feat at the pro level.

On another note, I can’t help but be annoyed by the return of Brett Favre. Almost two months ago, I wrote from the perspectives of the incumbent quarterbacks if Favre came out of retirement and signed with the Vikings. Since it came true, I’ll share the article with you. It’s a little dated, but it makes more sense now that Favre actually did come back.