Getty Bill Belichick
The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick don’t normally offer a ton of updates on player’s health, but the hoodie had some things to say about Julian Edelman on Wednesday.
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Julian Edelman Hasn’t Had Any Setbacks in His Recovery
Edelman is eligible to come off injured reserve this week
and could be available to play against the Houston Texans on Sunday. If he practices on Wednesday, that will tell us a lot about his potential availability.
Belichick spoke with the media on Wednesday morning and somewhat uncharacteristically spoke about Edelman’s health. Per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss, here was the question and the subsequent answer from Belichick:
Question: Any plans to start the clock on Julian Edelman and Justin Herron practicing today, as they are now eligible to do so off injured reserve?
Bill Belichick: “ … Neither player has had a setback. They’ve both progressed in a positive direction…”
Newfound Confidence in the Passing Game Awaits Edelman’s Return
This Patriots team is never going to be the kind of squad that wins consistently by throwing the ball 40-50 times per game. It is centered around running the ball effectively, playing sound defense, and forcing turnovers. If you look at the team’s four wins this season, the Patriots have averaged a whopping 228 yards per game, and a respectable 130 in the five losses.
In the wins, the Patriots are +6 in the turnover department and -5 in the losses.
Even though those areas are clearly the biggest factors in winning and losing for the Patriots, the passing game is beginning to play a much larger role.
It’s still a ball-control offense with Cam Newton’s effectiveness based on accuracy and efficiency, but the emergence of Jakobi Meyers as a No. 1 threat has been huge. The Patriots are still trying to get N’Keal Harry on track.
He was primarily used as a blocker in the Sunday night win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Damiere Byrd continues to run crisp routes, and Newton is finding a comfort level with him as well, though the team could stand to take a few more home run shots targeted at the speedster.
All in all, Edelman will be trying to find a spot in a passing attack that looks a bit more formidable than the one he left three weeks ago that appeared clueless.
Are Patriots on the Cusp Of Hitting Their Stride?
As the passing game picks up, the offensive line gets healthier, Newton gets more comfortable and youngsters on defense like the Michigan men, Chase Winovich and Josh Uche, and rookie safety Kyle Dugger are worked into the defensive gameplan more prevalently, the Patriots are beginning to look more and more like a solid football team.
If they can remain healthy, and get Edelman back to something close to his 2019 form, the best could be yet to come. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins may not have run and hid from the Patriots in the AFC East, and the postseason dreams may not be a fantasy after all.