To those outside of New England, Julian Edelman’s Hall of Fame case is downright offensive, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a creation of postseason mythology, since his career numbers are far below other Hall of Fame wideouts, and many of his peers.
Hell, Wes Welker finished with 283 more career receptions. But his contributions are often forgotten, because of one dropped pass, and two circus catches from David Tyree and Mario Manningham.
So why is Edelman being floated as a legit Hall of Fame contender? It’s all about that Boston bias, says Chris Mueller, host at 93.7 “The Fan” in Pittsburgh.
“It really speaks to the whole ‘Boston is the center of the sports universe vibe’ that you tend to get from different people,’” Mueller told WEEI.com. “‘If he’s a Boston sports playoff legend, then he must be an all-sports legend.’”
People in Pittsburgh would know about Hall of Fame biases. Eighteen Steelers are enshrined in Canton, including seemingly every player of even modest consequence from their dynasty in the 70s. Meanwhile, Ty Law is the only representative from the Patriots’ dynastic years in in the Hall. But there is an explanation for that: Tom Brady’s excellence. As we learned last season, he was the overwhelming force behind the six Super Bowl titles.
“‘The Belichick Way’ is just Tom Brady being awesome,” Mueller said.
Edelman is an undoubted Patriots Hall of Famer. He was prolific in his six full seasons at receiver, and most importantly, was part of three Super Bowl winners. He’s second in all-time playoff receptions, only trailing Jerry Rice.
The Catch against Atlanta; the game-winner in Super Bowl XLIX (and getting up after getting rocked by Kam Chancellor); the miraculous touchdown throw to Danny Amendola. Edelman’s playoff triumphs will forever be part of Patriots lore. He goes down as Brady’s favorite target — and the toughest.
But Hall of Famer? In the words of LeSean McCoy: “Nah, come on, man.”
"On a very basic ‘I’m a sports guy and try to support my arguments with facts level,’ his stats don’t even come close," Mueller said. "What kills me about this is, Wes Welker was better at the same position in New England."
Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to make the case for Edelman. He finishes with 620 receptions, 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns. As Mueller mentioned, there are more deserving undersized tough-as-nails wideouts, beginning with Hines Ward. The Steelers great retired with 1,000 receptions, 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns, to go along with two Super Bowl championships, and an MVP — just like Edelman.
Ward is third on the all-time playoff reception list.
“If Julian Edelman gets into the Hall of Fame someday before Hines Ward, they should just shut the place down,” Mueller said.
