JULIAN HITS BRAKES ON 19-0 TALK
Pats wide receiver: Talk of 19-0 ‘stupid’
DANVERS — With an interview wrapping up at a youth football clinic yesterday at Danvers High School, one question remained for Julian Edelman, and it was the last one he wanted to hear.
With some local and national pundits and fans alike pondering a possible 19-0 season for the Patriots before a single training camp practice, what exactly did the star wide receiver make of such conversation?
Predictably, Edelman was having none of it.
“You can’t worry about what other people say, honestly,” Edelman said. “I mean, there’s no script to this thing. There’s no camera. This isn’t Hollywood. This is real life. When you go out and play in the National Football League, it’s one of those things where it’s even stupid to think about that. It’s never been done. You don’t really want to talk about it.
“My focus is more on trying to get ready for the season, trying to learn your teammates, form your identity. (The 19-0 talk is) stupid. That’s it.”
One wouldn’t expect anything less from any Pats player or coach regarding the subject for an organization that knows how to limit distractions as well as anyone.
But when it came to the queries he received from the young participants, according to Edelman, they all centered around one thing: The diving, juggling, sprawling- over- multiple Falcons catch in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI.
“It’s been pretty cool to see how many of those little kids were watching that game,” Edelman said. “That’s the No. 1 thing (they want to know).”
Edelman issued a simple directive for pulling off such a feat.
“Keep your eye on the ball,” he said.
For Edelman, interactions like that served as a sort of inspiration, as he did his best to impart whatever wisdom he’s learned along the way to another generation looking to fulfill its gridiron goals.
“I remember going to these types of camps back in the Bay Area. I enjoyed them then and I enjoy them now,” he said. “This is the future and to be able to go out and kind of communicate with a lot of these little youngsters, you can tell them a lot that can potentially help them. If they take one thing away from this camp, it’s a success. So I enjoy doing them.”
When it comes to what he wants to get across, Edelman said there isn’t just one aspect.
“Just little things,” he said. “The listening, try to keep them in line with hustling. And (it’s) just good to get kids out here instead of inside their house and playing on their iPad or iPhone. The world is changing and when you can get these little youngsters out here on the field running around, I think it’s a good thing.”
With the growing concern over concussions and their long-term effects, some worry that the sport’s participation at the youth levels will start to dip. But Edelman was encouraged by the turnout of approximately 900 kids from grades 1-8.
“Yeah, it’s a sport that I love dearly,” he said. “It’s been good to me. It’s my passion. Any time you see a bunch of little kids coming out here doing something that you love, it’s a pretty cool experience. That’s the future.”