Julian Edelman is Not Pat White

Look, I know that all of the draft prognosticators had Patriots Nation salivating with the idea of landing a rookie like Pat White to be the team’s new, flashy Wildcat quarterback. We were embarrassed last season by the Wildcat offense and we don’t want to be left out in the cold. The thing is that since the Patriots landed Julian Edelman in the 7th round, it seems as if the local media in Boston has already anointed this kid as being just as good, if not better, than White.

Let’s not go crazy.

Here’s a quick head to head:

PASSING STATS

	        Comp	Att	Comp%   Yds	TD	INT

Pat White	507	783	64.8%	6049	56	23

Julian Edelman	385	706	54.5%	4997	30	31

RUSHING STATS

      	        Car     Yds	YPC	TD

Pat White	684	4480	6.5	43

Julian Edelman	502	2483	4.9	23

It’s not even close. We’re talking about a 10% jump in completion percentage and an increase of 3000 total yards and 46 total touchdowns. Yes, White had an extra year of playing time, but the no one with Edelman’s track record could make up that type of statistical ground in 12 games.

The scariest, and most telling statistic, has to be the passing TD:INT ratio. While White passed for a 2.4:1 ratio, Edelman couldn’t even manage a straight 1:1 split. It doesn’t matter how many more games White has, the efficiency of Edelman’s decision making is evident and it’s not that great.

I’m not trying to be the guy that buries this kid before he starts, but I just want to show the flip side of the coin. While Pat White projects to be a fantastic Wildcat quarterback, Edelman doesn’t measure up the same way. Yes, the kid can run with the best of them. Just look at the photo at the top of this post. You don’t see quarterbacks making moves like that and having a weapon like that could prove to be extremely useful.

The thing is White is polished and ready to go. Edelman is coming from a small school against much weaker competition that he couldn’t beat anyway (he was 13-23 with Kent State). Don’t expect the same results as you’ll see in Miami where the architect of the Wildcat is coaching with what would appear to be one of the premier athletes designed to run it.

Edelman looks like a gifted athlete who might develop at some point, but don’t let the hype lead you down a disappointing road. While great things may come of this in the future the key will be patience in the present.

Tags: Bill Belichick, Julian Edelman, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, NFL Draft, Pat White