Julian Edelman and Tom Brady in a preseason game against the Redskins. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Boston Globe NFL reporter Ben Volin is back this week to recap the lessons learned from the Patriots' drumming of the Miami Dolphins, preview their short-week matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, and discuss all the other Patriots headlines with WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman.
So, in Sunday's 38-7 win, were the Pats that good, or were the Fins that bad? Volin said it was a combination of both, and that New England still has a lot to prove. Did their defense figure anything out this time around?
"The Dolphins, they've been a big-play offense all season, but they never really were able to grind out some drives and really establish long drives, and the Patriots did a great job of that," Volin said. "They only allowed one play over 20 yards all day, they didn't let the Dolphins' speed beat them deep and get behind them, and the Dolphins just didn't have enough to be able to establish these 10- and 12-play drives ... but again, I don't know how much they really proved here. This was not an elite offense by any stretch, and they play some much tougher opponents and some tougher quarterbacks coming up here."
This week, Julian Edelman is back from his four-game PED suspension.
Julian Edelman's Suspension Over, Receiver Returns to Patriots
But this will be his first meaningful game since the Super Bowl win over the Falcons in February 2017.
"Obviously Julian Edelman hasn't played real football in a long time, and we're probably putting a lot on him," Volin said. "This is a guy who admitted during training camp that he didn't quite have his legs underneath him yet, led to some drops and a little bit of sloppy play in training camp--and this is a 32-year-old guy coming off a torn ACL and we're just throwing him back in there and saying, okay, be Julian Edelman again, go catch 100 balls and be the engine of the offense."
Kaufman and Volin also talked about Tom Brady's rise in interceptions, Rob Gronkowski's ankle injury, what to expect from Josh Gordon, Sony Michel, and Chris Hogan, predictions for this week's game, and more.
Listen to the Red Zone Report with Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) and Volin (@BenVolin) below: