Julian Edelman proves valuable complement to Patriots ground game in opener

Is Julian Edelman already a Hall of Famer, or maybe just on the cusp needing one final push?

The 2020 New England Patriots season, Year 1 A.B. (After Brady), could provide just that.

In a Week 1 Patriots victory over Miami, during which a bruising, bullying New England ground game earned top billing, it became evident that when Cam Newton needed a target, he was looking first and foremost for Edelman.

The numbers are not large. They aren’t vintage Edelman, just five catches for 57 yards and a 23-yard end-around rush, but the attitude -- and that of this entire new-look Patriots team -- is all Julian.

“The only stat that really matters is the scoreboard at the end of the game,” said Edelman, summing up the Sunday matinee opener.

He’s no captain. Physically, he’s diminutive at just 5-foot-10 and 198 yards. And at 34, with plenty of wear on his tires, Edelman is hardly throttling down.

Sunday afternoon, he’s there in the slot or on the edge, hitting anything trimmed in Aqua and Orange that moved, looking to open up running lanes.

Anyone who thought, without Tom Brady, that Edelman might not toil to earn every bit of his $7 million or so this season, looks to be pretty incorrect.

“It was awesome, we went out there, battled and got a ‘W,’” he said emphatically after the victory.

He made some big plays, and it was cool to witness that on this side

“Now we’re looking forward to compounding and building on this. It’s good to keep it going … Definitely fun, something we can build off of.”

As far as the Patriots' receiving game goes, Edelman could be a man on an island. Newton threw the football a 1978-esque 19 times, and Edelman drew a team-high seven of those targets.

There is a mutual admiration society building fast here at Gillette Stadium. Newton talked in glowing terms about Edelman this week.

“One thing about Jules, Highway 11 as I call him, he’s a grinder, that’s what I call him,” the QB said.

“Every day he wakes up, he has this invisible chip on his shoulder that he views as an iceberg. He doesn’t say much, but when he speaks everybody listens.

“His effort, that’s the thing.”

Edelman returned the praise after the win on Sunday.

“He made some big plays. It was cool to witness that on his side,” he said of his new QB. “We’ve been on the other side, and he’s beaten us two times. He’s a stud, brings an energy, and he’s fun to play with.”

Newton knew enough to look to Edelman when it mattered in the second half. All three catches came on the opening drive after halftime, a drive that swept momentum away from a Dolphins team that was energized by Nick Folk’s late field-goal miss before the break. All three moved the chains on the way to touchdowns.

Yes, there was a N'Keal Harry sighting in the opener. The 2019 top pick caught five passes (38 yards) on the day, making more news on the negative side of the ledger with a late third-quarter fumble into the end zone that kept Miami alive.

As for the rest of the outside receivers, Damiere Byrd and Jakobi Meyers dressed and played.

Neither drew a target.

That circles the conversation back to Edelman, who popped up on the injured list this week with a knee issue but looked quick, sharp and eager on Sunday.

Now in his 11th season, Edelman has been so reliable, especially recently playing 44 games out of 48 in the past three regular seasons.

All that was with Brady, and much of the credit for the success (Three titles, 6,500+ receiving yards, etc.) went South with TB12, too.

Then, you could add in the pandemic to the equation, as Edelman saw some trusted, longtime teammates (Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung) opt out.

He chose to embrace the challenge.

“There are definitely some circumstances that are quite different this year, but everyone has to deal with it,” he said this week.

“I think the team, the players, that really focus on football, trying to improve and going out and bettering their craft each day is going to be the team that puts itself in the best situation to have the best outcome.”

Edelman has done the work. Almost lost in the mix at times in August and again on Sunday with the Patriots shredding Miami on the ground, he remains the heart-and-soul of this offense and the one trusted target Newton has.