Here’s what Julian Edelman had to say at his Super Bowl MVP news conference
"My favorite play was the last play when we took a knee."
ATLANTA — Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman on Monday spoke at his Most Valuable Player news conference following New England’s Super Bowl LIII victory the night before. Here is what Edelman said about winning his first Super Bowl MVP award:
Opening statement: “An absolute honor to get this award. But honestly, I’m just so proud of the group of guys that we had this year, the ups and downs we had just with the abs and flows of the season. Play a whole year, you see how a team shapes up, see how this team grinded and worked each week, when things weren’t at its best, constantly try to go out and improve just shows what kind of group of guys it was this year, the 2018 Patriots. A resilient group, one that you’re never going to forget. It was unbelievable.’’
You missed last year with an ACL, started this year with a four-game suspension. How have you fought through adversity and then get Super Bowl MVP and what it has meant?: “I mean, I haven’t really gotten to sit back and think about it. I’ve been kinda trained, being in New England, to always look what’s on your plate at the time and when you get hurt, you’re competing against yourself each day to try to get your knee better. You’re walking one day, and jogging one day and doing a cut one day. Those little wins build confidence and you’re worried about that. When you start to play, you’re trying to get back in the flow of things and you’re trying to see where you’re at. You’re thinking about that, you’re thinking about winning games, thinking about going out and trying to contribute and just try to improve each week. You don’t really think about those types of things. Maybe in the next couple weeks I’ll be able to sit back and think about that. But by then, we’ll be starting up.’’
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On his friendship with Chris Hogan: “Hogs is like a brother. He’s a tough guy. He’s a great team player, a great guy in the locker room. Just goes out and does what he does. I’m super proud of him. He’s fought through a lot, guy’s a lacrosse player, now he’s a two-time Super Bowl champ. He’s a big part of my life because we’ve gotten to share this stuff together.’’
On playing offense and special teams: “Special teams is what allowed me to get an opportunity to play in this league, and I take that with a lot of pride, playing on that unit. You change your mindset, prepare each week. You learn the punter, what he does, his strengths, his weaknesses, where his tendencies are, and then you got into offensive meetings and you turn on a different switch and you start preparing for, as this week, [Marcus] Peters, [Aqib] Talib, and [Nickell] Robey[-Coleman], and you just got turn that on.’’
On if the Patriots sometimes have fun in practice: “We go out and we have fun, but that’s work. Just as you guys are over here, you got your pens and papers and recorders and you’re recording, you’re doing your job. Ours is going out and playing football and there’s only 16 games in a football season, so those practices are like mini games because you can’t afford to go out and mess up a game or go in a three-game slump like a baseball team or basketball team. Every game is so valuable, so the intensity of our practices, they’re definitely high. But there’s definitely joking around, there’s definitely times where your coach has got to tell you, Hey, pick it up. That’s natural.’’
On what Tom Brady said to him after he won MVP: “He just said he was proud of me. That was big. He’s been an unbelievable guy to learn from, as a football player, as a professional, as a family man. The guy’s all in. That trickles down when you see leaders of your team do that. It shows guys, like when I was a young guy, Hey, he’s Tom Brady, bringing in a quarterback coach still and he’s a three-time Super Bowl champion at the time and still putting in the hours. We said the same with our coach. I remember going in, seeing Coach, I don’t know if he remembers this, but I was a rookie and it was like 11 o’clock at night and by the grace of God we were walking out at the same time, and I probably said maybe three words to him at the time, I was on the team for like six months, and I just looked at him, because I saw him on the treadmill, watching film at 10 o’clock at night, and go, Coach, you sure like football, huh? And he goes, Beats being a plumber. When you’re seeing that, at the time he’s a three-time Super Bowl winning head coach and two-time winning assistant coach, you see guys do that, it’s gonna rub off, and if it doesn’t, you’re probably not gonna be there.’’
On his favorite play in Super Bowl LIII: “My favorite play was the last play when we took a knee. That was my favorite play.’’
On who he dedicates the win to: “I dedicate this one to my family, my little girl, my pops, my moms, my brother and my sister. The people that have helped me get to where I’m at. The people that have supported me my whole life, not only in the high times but the low times. People that have been in my corner. It’s for them. My little girl Lily, 2 years old. It’s for them.’’
