FOXBOROUGH – Julian Edelman was zipping through his receiver drills Sunday morning when he briefly turned his attention to the reporters sitting in the bleachers charting his every move.
“Get those stories,’' he said with a grin. “Write those stories down.‘'
Edelman’s story is as good as any in this most unusual training camp — one that features endless COVID-19 testing and protocols, face masks, and social distancing but doesn’t, for the first time in Edelman’s dozen seasons in New England, Tom Brady.
Edelman, 34, is now the offense’s senior statesman and the main piston of an engine that’s going to have a new conductor this fall. Edelman has some history with Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham and it clear he’s working on building chemistry with the new guy in town: Cam Newton.
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The pair have held myriad side sessions over the last six practices, not only working on throwing and catching, but also catching up on the sideline during their off reps.
“We’re still trying to get to know each other,’' said Edelman. “Just like I am with all my new teammates, but specifically with a guy that distributes the football, just kind of getting to know each other as people on the field, off the field. Trying to build a rapport. That’s what I’m doing also with Hoy and Stid, but those guys have been around. It’s been one of those things where I have to catch up with Cam.‘'
The pair did plenty of catching up Sunday, with Newton frequently targeting Edelman, including six times during the first two full-team periods.
Newton has pulled ahead in the race to replace Brady, but Edelman isn’t one to comment on the former MVPs understanding or comfort level with the Patriots offense.
“I think you’d be better off asking one of our coaches on that,’' he said. “I’m just trying to worry about being in the right place for the quarterback. He’s a smart football player, just like Jarrett and Hoy are. These guys are going in and they are working their tails off.‘'
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Edelman knows there’s a quarterback competition, and although he’ll ultimately play a key role in how it unfolds, he has other things to concentrate on.
“I’m really worried about going out and trying compete myself,’' said Edelman, who wore a Bruins sweater and wished both the Bruins and Celtics luck in the playoff runs in his postpractice video call. “I’m more worried about me, my position group, and trying to get our group going in the right direction.‘'
The Patriots receiver group is a nice mix of veterans and young players and Edelman said he takes pieces of everyone’s game and incorporates them into his own — even the first- and second-year players.
As always, Edelman, who has 15 catches through the six practices media have been allowed to observe, tags guys with nicknames that stick, and he enjoys being around the “whole bunch of dudes.”
Among his choices this year, are “Gun Show” (Gunner Olszewski), and “My dog Ja-Kobe” (Jakobi Meyers). But he also mentioned Mohamed Sanu, Devin Ross, Damiere Byrd, and Isaiah Zuber.
“I’m learning a lot from these guys,’' he said.
Test results questioned
The Patriots were among several teams affected by the irregularities in Saturday’s COVID-19 test results that led to many players missing Sunday’s practice and forced some teams to alter or cancel their activities.
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New England had a camp-high 11 players missing from Sunday’s practice.
The NFL issued a statement on the matter Sunday morning that read:
“Saturday’s daily COVID testing returned several positives tests from each of the clubs serviced by the same laboratory in New Jersey. We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive tests. Clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures as outlined in the NFL-NFLPA’s health and safety protocols to include contact tracing, isolation of individuals and temporarily adjusting the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results.‘'
LBs throwing weight around
It’s been well-document the Patriots lost a ton of talent from the second level of the league’s best defense in 2019, but there’s a lot of reason for optimism about this season’s linebacking crew. Ja’Whaun Bentley has been a vocal leader a large presence in the middle and Terez Hall is always near the ball. Rookie Josh Uche is a versatile specimen. In addition, fellow rookies Cassh Maluia and Scoota Harris keep showing up and making plays … Rookie cornerback Myles Bryant has five pass breakups … Joe Cardona is “stoked” about the Patriots signing tight end Paul Quessenberry his former Naval Academy teammate. Quessenberry played defensive end for the Midshipmen. “He was always a high-effort, high-energy guy, played on special teams. He’s an incredible teammate and incredible person.‘'
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
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August 24, 2020 at 04:50AM
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Julian Edelman ready for new chapter in long-running story - The Boston Globe
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