New England Patriots

Morning sports update: Julian Edelman doesn’t think Cam Newton took ‘any crazy hits’ running in his Patriots debut

"He looks like a really fast defensive end playing, guys are bouncing off of him."

Julian Edelman and Cam Newton. Getty Images

The Celtics lost to the Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday, 106-101. Boston blew a 17-point lead to fall behind in the series to Miami, 2-0.

Also on Thursday, the Connecticut Sun beat the L.A. Sparks 73-59 to advance to the WNBA semifinals where they will face the Las Vegas Aces.

And the Red Sox beat the Marlins 5-3 behind Nathan Eovaldi’s five shutout innings.

Julian Edelman on Cam Newton: Though it didn’t take long for football analysts to begin worrying about Cam Newton’s durability with the Patriots, the 31-year-old wasn’t concerned about how many times he runs the ball when asked on Monday.

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And speaking during an interview with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Friday, Julian Edelman thinks Newton is doing alright.

“I think our coaching staff is going to do the best they can to put him in the best situation to go out and help lead this team, and lead this offense whether that’s running, throwing, that’s up to Coach [Josh] McDaniels,” Edelman explained. “Cam’s a big man. He plays smart. If you really watch, he didn’t take any crazy hits. He looks like a really fast defensive end playing, guys are bouncing off of him.”

Edelman, who has been limited in practice, said that he’s just focused on his own role.

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“I am just kind of worried about what I have to do to go out and perform for him and the offense,” said the 34-year-old. “I’m sure the coaching staff will be thinking of those things. He’s a smart football player. I’m sure he will take care of himself.”

Trivia: The Celtics face an 0-2 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the winner of the series in the previous two years has overcome such a deficit. This included 2018, when the Cavaliers overcame the Celtics’ 2-0 lead.

What Celtics player attempted the most 3-point shots on the team in that series?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was one of two Celtics first-round picks in 2015.

More from Boston.com:

Reaction to the Celtics’ loss

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On this day: In 1996, Roger Clemens struck out 20 batters in a single game for the second time in his Red Sox career. It tied his own record (later equaled also by Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson, and Max Scherzer) for the most strikeouts in nine innings.

Daily highlight: Zack Johnson somehow read this green correctly yesterday at the U.S. Open, nailing a ridiculous putt.

Trivia answer: Terry Rozier

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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