LeSean McCoy Does Not Think Julian Edelman Belongs in the HOF. But He Believes LeSean McCoy Does.
Source - Count free agent running back LeSean McCoy as one player who does not think Julian Edelman is heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Asked by Yahoo Sports if Edelman is a Hall of Famer, McCoy scoffed.
“Hall of Famer? No, come on, man,” McCoy said.
McCoy said Edelman’s strong postseason performances don’t change the fact that his regular season stats don’t measure up.
“You have 16 weeks to showcase who you are, what you can do each year. The playoffs matter but a lot of guys don’t get a chance to play in the playoffs,” McCoy said. “I won’t discredit him because I think he’s a great player, plays with a lot of heart, a lot of attitude, a lot of passion. I don’t want to rain on his parade because he’s retiring and he’s a hell of a player, but I don’t know about Hall of Fame.”
McCoy did, however, mention the postseason when making his own case for the Hall of Fame.
“I think I’ve got a good shot at it,” McCoy said. “I put my numbers up with any other running backs. In my decade I was the lead dog. I’ve got good numbers, touchdowns, yards, yards per carry, all those things. And you add two Super Bowls with it.”
When I read LeSean McCoy's comments about Julian Edelman being a great player, with lots of heart, attitude and passion, my first reaction is wink, finger gun, click tongue, pull trigger, "Right back atcha, Sport."
A good case can be made for McCoy rocking a gold jacket someday. He's 22nd on the all time career rushing yards list. Of the guys ahead of him, 16 are already in and two are still active. He's also in the top 30 in career attempts and rushing touchdowns. You could induct a lot less worthy people than him.
That say, YOU come on, man. Dismissing Edelman's Canton-worthiness because what he did in the postseason shouldn't matter so much flies directly in the face of what the Pro Football Hall has always been about. Contributing directly to championships is not a requirement, but it sure as hell helps your case. As it should. Lynn Swann is in precisely for that reason. And not the fact that he's got 38 more career receiving yards than Frank Gifford, who was a halfback in the '50s and '60s. Joe Namath is a career sub-.500 quarterback with 173 passing touchdowns and 220 interceptions. He's in for no other reason than he guaranteed a win in one of the biggest championship upsets in the history of sports.
That's the criteria for getting into Canton. And in that respect, Edelman has cleared that bar with room enough for his carry on luggage to spare. Consider that the four Super Bowls his teams went to since he became a starter (so not counting the Super Bowl That Shall Not Be Named Part II in 2011) went like this:
--In 2014, he caught 26 passes in three postseason games, threw a 51-yard touchdown to lead a comeback in the Divisional Round, and had 109 yards against the defending champions' Legion of Boom defense, including the game winning touchdown.
--In 2016, he averaged 114 yards in the three postseason games, including this often overlooked, seldom talked about number that kept a desperate 4th quarter drive alive:
--In 2017, he was injured and missed the whole season. His team lost.
--In 2018, he totalled 388 yards in three games, an average of 129.3. In the AFC championship game, he converted two 3rd & 10s on the game winning drive in overtime. In the Super Bowl, he accounted for 53.8% of his team's passing yards and won the MVP.
Simply put, you cannot tell the story of the NFL in the decade of the 2010s without mentioning Julian Edelman's history-making heroics. Period. Hard stop.
Now, Shady McCoy on the other hand? Like I said, I respect him. If he goes in the Hall someday I will gladly say he earned it. But is he kidding us with his "two Super Bowls" comment? His postseason career is to Edelman's what a Jenga tower is to the Eiffel Tower. Before he lucked into a half-season gig with the future champion 2019 Chiefs, his career playoff record was 0-4. With 55 yards per game, one touchdown and an average of 3.9 yards per attempt. He took one offensive snap in the divisional round and was inactive after that. On the 2020 Buccaneers, he was inactive in one game, didn't play in the Super Bowl and took one snap in each of the other two. So, an average of 0.5 plays per game, and zero yards to go with the zero he gained for the Chiefs. I get that he gets a ring for each of those that looks like everyone else's ring. But with all due respect, he had as much to with winning those championships as I did during Super Bowl XLIX when my brother and I switched ends of the couch in order change the Patriots luck.
The bottom line is that both McCoy and Edelman can make the Hall. And deserve to. But for the love of God, don't ever lose sight of the fact that without Edelman, the Pats probably win none of those last three rings. And that is what a Hall that celebrates Fame is supposed to be all about.