Julian Edelman Says He's Feeling Better, Ready To 'Compete At A High Level'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Not having a playoff bye week is tough enough, but the Patriots also have to prepare for the Titans on a short week. That's not ideal for their banged up players, especially wide receiver Julian Edelman, who has been nursing a slew of injuries throughout the season.
Most recently, Edelman has been hampered with shoulder and knee issues, injuries that have limited him in both practices this week. He's been questionable for each of the last three weeks, but still played in all 16 games during the regular season.
And going into this weekend's Wild Card round, Edelman is adamant that he's feeling fine, even on a short week.
"I feel good, and that's that," the receiver said Thursday morning during his weekly appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. "I feel better than I have in the last few weeks, and I feel good enough to go out and compete at a high level."
Edelman hasn't been himself since Dec. 8, when he caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in New England's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but he still had a monster season for the Patriots, racking up a career-high 1,117 receiving yards. He also caught 100 passes for just the second time in his career, and found the end zone six times.
But he hasn't been able to do too much over the last three weeks. In three games against the Bengals, Bills and Dolphins, Edelman had just 10 receptions for 107 yards off 18 targets. He had just three receptions in Week 17 against Miami.
So if he's feeling better than he has been, the hope is Edelman will have a little more production against the Titans on Saturday night. The 33-year-old will be an integral part of the offense one way or another, whether he's adding to his 115 career postseason catches or serving as a decoy against Tennessee.
Tune in to Saturday's Patriots-Titans Wild Card showdown on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m., and after the game stay tuned for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
