Time and time again, the National Football League has shown us how cruel it can be. Just last year, Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear after merely four snaps in his debut game in the Big Apple. And if we rewind the clock, the further we go, the more serious these injuries get, due to which several players had to hang up their cleats at the peak of their careers. It happened with Peyton Manning, and it happened with Joe Montana as well. Ex-Patriots man Julian Edelman recently revisited this harsh reality while actually reminiscing about the most devastating hit he had ever taken on the gridiron.
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On the ‘Games with Names’ podcast, the former wide receiver had Eric Stonestreet as a host. He is known for his iconic role, Cam, in the hit series ‘Modern Family’. He is also a lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan. During their banter session, Eric asked Edelman whether he could still recall the hardest hit he had ever taken.
Without skipping a beat, Edelman recounted an encounter with former Broncos man, Brian Dawkins, who apparently hit the Patriots wideout so hard that he had a concussion for three weeks. It probably haunts Edelman to this day, as he said that he endured the concussion for three weeks; twice.
“In 2009, I saw a star for three weeks. I got hit so hard I saw stars for like three weeks,” Edelman said.
Eric saw this chance and took a jab at Julian Edelman, playfully quipping, “That’s why when you said my name, you went, ‘Eric Stone(long pause) Street,‘” leaving the entire room bursting into laughter. Despite the banter, the three-time Super Bowl champ then reminisced about getting hit by former Seahawks’ safety, Kam Chancellor, during Super Bowl XLIX, which almost knocked him out.
Just Like Tom Brady, Julian Edelman Points Out the Vast Difference in Physicality
Edelman acknowledges that the game had already started to change when he was with the Patriots. In the latter part of his stint in Foxborough, he would review game films from recent seasons, and wonder how easier it became running with the ball. If he had played like this during his initial years, he would have been knocked out 2-3 times a season. And one person who would definitely agree with this notion is none other than Tom Brady.
TB12 has been beating the same drum for quite some time now. He said it during his ‘Let’s Go’ podcast, and he said it again recently on ‘DeepCut’ with Vick Blends. He feels that the physicality of the game has undergone a significant change. During his tenure in the league, when he had to pass the pigskin, he would have to evaluate where his receivers would get hit, therefore, often avoiding the middle.
However, it’s no longer the case anymore, and QBs, without a worry in the world, get to pass the ball, in the middle of the field. If this were to happen during the Rey Lewis era, that ball carrier would get sidelined for at least three weeks. Brady feels that quarterbacks no longer have to create plays as they once did. It baffles him even more that defensive players now have to avoid getting penalized when tackling someone.
“I feel like we’re trying to protect people in a physical sport. I don’t think you go into a boxing match and say, ‘Okay, I think I want you to beat your opponent, but I don’t want you to beat them bad. Don’t hit them hard… Just tap them and try to win points,'” Brady said about the Hip Drop tackle ban on DeepCut.
It can be said with certainty that debates about this topic will rage on for years to come. But what’s important is not to take feedback for granted from the greatest to ever do it. Then again, owners are hell-bent on making football a safer game for their playmakers since they are paying them big bucks. Therefore, changes, while warranted, might not come easily.
