Edelman’s grab defies gravity

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman stands only 5-foot-10 and weighs just 200 pounds, but on Sunday he was a giant.

The feisty 30-year-old made a catch for both the highlight reels and the history books — a once-in-a-lifetime grab that pushed New England’s record-setting Super Bowl comeback into overdrive.

Edelman’s catch was the key play on New England’s 91-yard drive that tied the game near the end of regulation time en route to a 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The diminutive Kent State alumnus somehow got his red-gloved hands pinned up against, and then underneath, a Tom Brady pass that bounced off Atlanta cornerback Robert Alford’s hands, then deflected off his knee and shin as it dropped to the turf. But it never got that far. “I knew I caught it,” Edelman said. “I felt like I had it. I didn’t know if maybe a piece of the ball was touching (the turf). I don’t know what the dang rule is. Nobody knows what the rule is for a catch. I was like, ‘I’m pretty sure I caught it.’”

Review upheld the 23-yard reception, the video clearly showing Edelman first pinning the ball against Alford’s foot, then getting his hands underneath the pigskin as it bounces off the defender.

It gave New England the ball at the Atlanta 41 with 2:03 left in regulation. The rest of the game almost felt academic.

“Quite a competitor,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said of his do-everything receiver, who catches, runs, returns punts and even threw one (incomplete) pass against Atlanta.

“I think to win a game like that after falling behind by so much, you need a few plays like that.”

Alford was resigned.

“At the end of the day, all you can control is what you can control,” he said. “I saw he made the play. I saw him come down with it. I saw my foot and the ball when he got his hands underneath it. Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do.”

Edelman finished with five catches for 87 yards — including the one nobody will ever forget.

“One of the greatest catches I’ve ever seen,” Brady said. “We’ve been on the other side of that a few times before, and Julian came up huge on the other end of it. He had a helluva game.”