Dr. Julian Edelman Makes A House Call
- Thread starter IdiotKicker
- Start date
You compare Edelman to Hester, and note that JE is not the once-in-a-ligfetime talent that DH is, but OTOH, JE is the all-time leader in career return average (at least he was a recently as late last year). I wonder if Edelman:Hester as Payton was to Sanders? Ty Cobb vs Babe Ruth. Consistency vs high-end ceiling. Is there something in Edelman that allows him to put up the 15 yards average with fewer TD runs than what Hester might do to generate so many TD's?
EDIT: I just looked up the career return leaders. Edelman has dropped into a tie for 3rd at 12.6. Hester is 5th at 12.3. The next closest active returner is at 11.5 (Dexter McCluster) which puts him at 11th all-time. There is only one other player in the top 10 who has played in the last 25 years (Desmond Howard at #8 at 11.9 YPR).
EDIT: I just looked up the career return leaders. Edelman has dropped into a tie for 3rd at 12.6. Hester is 5th at 12.3. The next closest active returner is at 11.5 (Dexter McCluster) which puts him at 11th all-time. There is only one other player in the top 10 who has played in the last 25 years (Desmond Howard at #8 at 11.9 YPR).
This is actually something I have planned for the offseason, but I have not had the time to go into the depth I would like to on this yet. But it is something that interests me and I'm going to be spending some serious time with it in February.Saints Rest said:
Cool. I wonder if you can find the data that shows the actual yards gained for each individual return. Seems like if you looked at that data on a graph you could see some of this info, or even just the StdDev for each player, it would help show the level of consistency.Chuck Z said:
I also wonder what, if anything, can be gleaned by the number of fair catches. Does a Hester HR-hitter type take fewer fair catches int eh hopes of being able to break a big one? Or does a feared returner see fewere returnable punts as teams scheme against them?
I've actually spent a fair amount of time talking about this topic with friends offline. JE never seemed to "put the fright" into opposing teams. One point I can't get over is how much of JE's high return average is due to the team around him. We know Belichick puts a lot of emphasis on the bottom of his roster and by extension his special teams. Is JE that much better at returning kicks than previous Patriots punt returners like Welker?
From 2009 - 2012 Welker averaged 10.8 yards per return with a long of 69 and no TDs. Welker's 2007 and 2008 numbers were similar.
From 2009 - 2012 Edelman averaged 13.2 yards per return with 3 TDs and a long of 94.
So I guess I answered my question regarding WW. But I guess it still leaves me wondering. How much is Edelman a "product of the system."?
From 2009 - 2012 Welker averaged 10.8 yards per return with a long of 69 and no TDs. Welker's 2007 and 2008 numbers were similar.
From 2009 - 2012 Edelman averaged 13.2 yards per return with 3 TDs and a long of 94.
So I guess I answered my question regarding WW. But I guess it still leaves me wondering. How much is Edelman a "product of the system."?
I know so little about special teams; it's always great to get Chuck's insight. The diagrams make the key blocks and Edelman's vision plain. I questioned when it happened whether the drop / near-block affected the play, and I think the article highlights that it slowed the coverage team. The short hang-time definitely seems like it had an impact, and it's easy to imagine that the drop was a contributor there, too - at the point where he picked it up, his rhythm must have been disrupted, and he must have been crapping his pants and just hoping to get the kick off.
The Tax Man said:
Keep in mind that Welker, Kevin Faulk, and Troy Brown all operated under the same "system" for punt returners in New England and did not put up the same numbers. Edelman has a really, really strong skill set that allows him to do things that those players couldn't.