Julian Edelman makes impressive touchdown catch, but his ‘Merton Hanks dance’ needs work

Julian Edelman opened the Patriots’ scoring Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers with this four-yard, first-quart touchdown catch.

TB12 ➡️ @Edelman11!

Perfect throw + #ToeDragSwag = @Patriots TD! #NEvsSF https://t.co/dU1CtE1wTj

— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016

While the toe-dragging catch itself was something to behold, Edelman’s celebration also caught some eyes.

I think Julian Edelman did the Merton Hanks dance.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 20, 2016

Was that a Merton Hanks dance???#patriots  #NEvsSF

— Ratty (@HeyRatty) November 20, 2016

Julian Edelman just did the Merton Hanks end zone dance. I wonder how many people got that. #NEvsSF

— Andy Dudones (@ADudones) November 20, 2016

For those who did not get that, Merton Hanks was a former San Francisco 49ers safety in the 1990s, who was famous for his so called chicken dance. It’s worth noting that Edelman grew up 30 minutes away from San Francisco and was a big 49ers fan.

While Edelman’s tribute (intentional or not) was nice, there really is no matching this.