For a brief period of time, Julian Edelman was considered a poor man's Wes Welker.
But with the chemistry Edelman has built with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady over the past couple years, he has impressively carved out his own distinct role--albeit one that will still seemingly forever be compared to Welker's.
"Well, it’s hard to compare. I think Wes was such a special player for our team and I was fortunate enough to play with him for that period," he said, via Patriots.com. "But Julian in his own right has worked his tail off. I think he really had a great mentor in Wes, someone he could really look up to.
"They play a little bit similar; different players, but they both work extremely hard. Football is so important to the both of them and I think that really wore off on Julian. Julian has worked his tail off to get where he’s at. I think he’s really taken advantage of every opportunity that he’s gotten, Julian has. I’m really proud of him. He keeps coming out and making plays and he’s done such a great job being so dependable and reliable for our team, it’s great to have him."
The 28-year-old Edelman hauled in more than 100 catches and led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, proving to be the only sure thing in a mostly shaky wideout corps. Heading into 2014, he's still the most familiar weapon Brady has at his disposal.
The 28-year-old Edelman hauled in more than 100 catches and led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, proving to be the only sure thing in a mostly shaky wideout corps. Heading into 2014, he's still the most familiar weapon Brady has at his disposal.
