Should New England Patriots consider the load management theory?

As the New England Patriots head towards the playoffs, the team is a little beat up at this point in the season. Should the team consider resting guys?

Considering the New England Patriots have been short-handed for the majority of the season, could it be necessary for certain players to take a game or two off before the Patriots head into the playoffs?

There’s a stigma following the New England Patriots as if the current core group of guys and the dynasty that has been created are going to last forever. Between Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, the McCourty twins, Patrick Chung, and Jamie Collins, we all need to accept the fact that the New England Patriots are an aging, veteran-laden team.

Julian Edelman has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL this season. In what should have been a Pro Bowl season for Edelman, he has recorded 92 receptions, 1,019 yards, and six receiving touchdowns this season. At 33 years old, Edelman is the oldest player ranked in the NFL’s top-20 for most receptions this season.

Its obvious Jules has been the Patriots’ workhorse on offense this year, and everyone around the league knows it. It’s partly because he’s one of the only players who Brady has established a firm trust with, but it’s also because the Patriots don’t have many other playmakers to rely on consistently in 2019.

Brady runs his offense based off of trust and experience. The only problem is he hasn’t had much experience playing with guys like Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, and even Mohamed Sanu. Just think of how many times in a game you see Jules get hit and helicoptered on his way to the ground.

Regardless of Olszewski being on season-ending IR, the point of keeping him on the team in the first place was to decrease the overall wear-and-tear on Edelman throughout the season. Despite his lone muffed-punt, Gunner was used primarily in the return game and occasionally saw some offensive snaps.

Last week in Cincinnati, Edelman showed up to the stadium on the earliest possible bus in order to get his work in and self-evaluate himself. We know he is a warrior and one of the toughest players the NFL has to offer, but he has not been 100% throughout the season and it’s finally starting to show.

Unfortunately, the best time for the load management theory as it relates specifically to Edelman probably would have been last week against the Bengals. Considering the Bengals were 1-12 at the time, the Patriots could have gotten by without Edelman (he only had two catches for nine yards anyway).

The Patriots are going to need him to get through Buffalo on Saturday afternoon, but maybe they can shut him down for the final game of the season against Miami.

Edelman becomes a necessity in the playoffs for the Patriots. Last season, Jules rose in the ranks to second all-time in postseason receiving yards (1,412 yards). For the New England Patriots to be successful in January and perhaps February, he needs to be running at 100%.

It’s too risky to use JE11 in meaningless games against teams like the Bengals and the Dolphins, and at this point in his career Jules should understand and respect that. Sometimes the players feel like they’re letting their team down by doing so, and the warrior mentality of Edelman won’t allow him to let his team down.

The current state of the New England Patriots is unpredictable to say the least. This could be the last year for the Pats to truly compete for one more title run with Belichick and Brady together in what has already been a historic decade for the team. They should try to make the most of it by preserving Edelman’s health as long as they can.