Julian Edelman On Wes Welker's Hit On Talib: I'd Probably Do The Same Thing If I Was Told To
The Wes Welker hit on Aqib Talib in the AFC Championship Game has pretty much been discussed as much as possible over the past week and a half. Yet when Julian Edelman joined Felger & Mazz on Radio Row on Thursday afternoon, the question had to be asked: Did Edelman have a problem with what Welker did?
"To tell you the truth, I haven't seen it enough. I really haven't seen the play. Everyone keeps on talking about it," Edelman said. "That's a man beater. Regardless of what anyone says, the [receiver] going over the top is picking for the [other receiver] going underneath. I don't know if it was dirty or not. It's football. Would I go out there and do the same thing if I was told to do it? Probably. You're trying to win a game, and you can't get mad at a guy for doing something like that.
"But I haven't seen the play, so take that [for what it's worth]."
That opinion certainly differs from that of head coach Bill Belichick, who called Welker's hit "one of the worst plays I've seen."
But whether or not Belichick will still be Edelman's coach going forward is very much in question. Edelman is currently a free agent, and coming off a 105-catch, 1,056-yard season, he's sure to draw interest from plenty of teams. Michael Felger asked Edelman if the receiver wants to sign with New England even if the money is a little less, or whether he wants to make the most money he can in his limited time in the NFL.
"I haven't even sat down with my agent to discuss that yet," Edelman said. "So going forward, I'm going to sit down and we're going to discuss what I want, and we'll come up with a plan. Playing for New England is a dream, but like you said, there's a short window -- in this sport especially. So I don't know yet, and there's a lot of things that can happen going forward that could sway that one way or another. So hopefully it all works out in the favor for the both."
And despite the Patriots ultimately falling two wins short of their goal, Edelman said the team has a lot to proud of after a challenging season.
"We were one game away from getting to play for the big one," Edelman said. "You look back on this season, and it's very unfortunate that we don't get to play in this game and all of that stuff. But you look back and you see what this team overcame, all the adversity, the injuries, the off-the-field stuff, this, that, and it makes you think you're proud to be a part of this team this year. It was one of my favorite teams to play for, being here the last five years."
Julian Edelman On Radio Row
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