The New England Patriots have sustained success over the past twenty years by maintaining continuity.
So much continuity, in fact, that Adam Gase feels like they're creating clones.
The New York Jets head coach was asked Thursday if Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman reminded him of a certain player. Gase went the expected route -- with an amusing twist.
"Either Wes (Welker) or Danny (Amendola)," Gase said in a conference call with New England media. "I mean, it's like they're cloning guys up there, it feels like sometimes."
Gase is hardly the first to make this comparison: All three wideouts have similar builds (5-foot-11 or shorter, 195 pounds or lighter) and have been target hogs in the Patriots' offense.
Welker was Edelman's predecessor as Tom Brady's favorite slot receiver, amassing 672 catches over six seasons in New England from 2007 to 2012. Edelman immediately flourished after Welker's departure, catching 105 passes for 1,056 yards in 2013.
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And when Edelman went down in 2017 with a torn ACL? Amendola stepped right in with 61 catches for 659 yards.
Edelman has blossomed into much more than just a Welker clone, though, and should be a handful for the Jets on Monday night.
"What makes him such a tough cover is he does a great job with the stem of his routes," Gase added. "The way he plays every play, he plays extremely hard. He makes things look the same. He does a great job after he gets the ball of getting vertical. His run-after-catch has really been something that he's created a lot of yards. There's so much he can do, inside and outside."
" ... He does exactly what those guys need him to do."
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