I Love Football

I hate football.

I guess all that depth at wide receiver will come in handy now, won't it?

It isn't official yet but we all know what's coming. Edelman's injury sure did look like Welker's injury. They're still the three cruelest letters in football. ACL. [Edit: Torn ACL has been confirmed.]

Bill Belichick's New England Patriots were built to succeed in the face of adversity. There is no other team in the NFL better prepared to lose their #1 wide receiver. Still, Edelman's loss can't be understated. He was Brady's "go to" guy, he had added value returning punts and he's a true life, grit and guts, heart and soul guy.

Who's going to tell everyone in the huddle they're loved?

I'm not making fun when I say that. In those moments when doubt and fear can creep out of the dark corners of your lizard brain, it's guys like Edelman who spark a light of brotherhood that drives those doubts and fears back and leave a space for a shared strength that is absolutely essential to success in any human endeavor.

It's feeling a little dusty in here as I remember mic'd up moments of Super Bowl 49 and 51. Edelman in the huddle telling his teammates, "I love you" before they begin the drive for what would turn out to be the game-winning points in SB49 - on a TD catch by #11. Edelman on the sideline before the SB51 overtime telling Brady, "Let's win this for your mom. For your mom, bro."

If the Patriots were a movie, Edelman would definitely share screenwriting credits for "Patriots: Dynasty II."

At moments like this, I'm reminded of that dismissive comment that "we're only rooting for laundry;" that it doesn't matter who's wearing the home team's jersey, we'll raise our voices and cheer them on.

Well, it does matter. I'm not a fan of the #11 jersey; I'm a fan of Julian Edelman.

Okay, I'll root for Devin Lucien or Austin Carr or whoever it is that makes the Final 53 as a result of Edelman's injury. I rooted for the Patriots before Belichick and Brady. Hannah, Grogan, Morgan, Tippett, Eason (yes, Tony Eason), Armstrong, Bledsoe, Coates. I rooted for the Patriots in 2008 when Brady was injured and Matt Cassel became the starting QB. I will root for the Patriots after Belichick and Brady, too (well, depending on how long I live and how long Brady plays, of course). I'll be breaking out the black Patriots hoodie - it's on a 10-game winning streak - for the Thursday night game against the Chiefs to open the 2017 season.

But this hurts.

Because it turns out I don't just love football. It turns out I love Julian Edelman.