Bill Belichick knows that the Patriots lost a key offensive weapon when Julian Edelman went down with a season-ending knee injury on Friday night, but he also knows that the team has to move on.
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"Julian's a great competitor," Belichick said. "Works hard. Tough. Does all the things that you ask him to do. So I feel badly for him, of course . . . Hope that [he'll] have a complete and speedy recovery, but the team will have to move on and compete this season without him. It's unfortunate that that's the way it is so we'll have to figure that out."
Belichick said that Edelman's injury did not change his long-held belief that "football players play football," even in the preseason when players risk their health during games that don't count toward the standings.
"No," Belichick said. "I feel badly for Julian."
How quickly can the Patriots move on? From a football standpoint, it's already happening. From a personal standpoint, it's a much different situation.
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"There's a personal side," Belichick said. "You never move on. Julian will be here on a regular basis doing his rehabilitation and so forth. You never really move on from that standpoint . . . But this team has to move forward with the resources that we have. Unfortunately we've lost one, and an important one. But as a team we still have to move forward. That's what we'll do. That process has already started."