Patriots Blog: Julian Edelman Quietly Emerging As Major Player For Pats
BOSTON (CBS) -- In a game full of so many stars, it's funny when the one who gets the job done is maybe someone who nobody thought would do it.
Julian Edelman was the anchor for the Pats victory, making nine catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He was exactly what the Patriots needed when it was time for them to get back in the game. He got in the end zone and then did a triple move on a reception, which put the Pats in scoring position.
Yet, maybe the most important item he did was catch every punt in over time. We saw what happened when Wes Welker didn't catch his punt. Julian Edelman is sure-handed. He's been in the Patriots system for a little bit now, and he's flourishing. This is without question his best year as a Patriot. He's as valuable a player on this team as they have. On Sunday, he got recognized as player of the game but people in the organization have said all along he's done his job.
Quietly, Edelman has become a fixture in every part of the Patriots' game plan.
Bill's Bold Decision
Admit it -- when the Pats won the coin toss in overtime and decided to take the wind instead of the ball, you thought Bill Belichick was crazy. Yeah, crazy like a fox. He did something that many coaches would not have done and it wasn't the first possession of the overtime that I saw the difference. It was the second.
The Broncos got to the 39-yard line, with the wind right in their face, and they had to punt. If they had the wind at their backs, Matt Prater would have hit the field goal from 50 easy. Bill realized the Broncos had to get to the 25 to get a safe kick and he bet on his defense and the wind. And he was right.
We've said all year long that this season has been one of his better coaching years and again when he was on the big stage, he proved right on.
He showed run all night long to Manning, and Peyton took it. Sure, the Broncos had more than 200 yards on the ground but that's what the Pats played. Bill has done a masterful job with the personnel he has. He chose the wind in this game and he chose right.
"The wind, it was a strong wind," he said. "We just had to keep them out of the end zone, obviously. I just felt like the wind would be an advantage if we could keep them out of the end zone on that first drive. We were able to do that. The wind was significant in the game, it was definitely significant."
He's the best coach in the NFL and that's all around -- situational, game-planning and working with the talent he has.
Follow Levan Reid on Twitter @LevanReid.
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