Veteran NFL receiver Julian Edelman retired from football last week after he was released from the New England Patriots following a failed physical.  Edelman played for over a decade, during which time he established a reputation as being one of the most consistent receivers in the entire NFL.  Due to his illustrious career playing alongside Tom Brady and his record-number of playoff receiving yards, some fans are calling for Edelman to be inducted into the hall of fame.

While Edelman certainly had a great career, there is absolutely no way he should be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton.  Edelman has the second second most playoff receiving yards in NFL history, and as such some people are of the opinion that this is enough to grant him entry into the most prestigious hall of fame in all of football.  This is wrong. 

While Edelman certainly has an impressive playoff record, let’s remember how often he was in the playoffs, and who was throwing to him.  Had it not been for Tom Brady (one of the best quarterbacks of all time), some might argue that Edelman wouldn’t be anywhere near this record.

Recently retired running back Lesean McCoy responded to Edelman’s hall of fame buzz in quick fashion, stating that ¨I don’t want to knock on his parade because he’s retiring.  He’s a hell of a player.  I don’t know about hall of fame.¨ 

It seems to be a very open and shut discussion.  While Edelman has a few championships and holds an impressive postseason record, he simply doesn’t posses the necessary accolades and individual accomplishments to be seriously considered for the hall of fame.

Edelman also has somewhat damning regular season stats.  He had only three one-thousand yard seasons and has never made a pro-bowl in his career.  The stats rarely lie, and they certainly don’t in this instance.  Edelman was exactly what the stats suggest he was, an above average, consistent receiver who was more than reliable in the playoffs. 

The hall of fame is reserved for the best of the best, and there are dozens of players who have been excluded from receiving that  gold jacket that have better resumes and better cases than Edelman, no disrespect to him.