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Matt Patricia and Julian Edelman talked about being the most hated team in the NFL
"We were getting their best because that was the benchmark."
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On Julian Edelman’s podcast, “Games with Names,” he and former Patriots coach Matt Patricia talked about becoming the most hated team in the NFL. It’s a similarity their Patriots teams shared with the current Kansas City Chiefs.
“You think about the incredible run that we had, like every year,” said Patricia. “Whatever team we played, we were getting their best because that was the benchmark.”
The former Patriots coach spent 15 non-consecutive years with New England. During his run from 2012 to 2016 as defensive coordinator, Patricia collected two Super Bowl rings. In the latter year, his defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
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Edelman also talked about the money factor when teams face the “most wanted” team in the league. He theorized that beating a team like the Patriots drives financial and career opportunities for coaches and players.
“And that’s what a lot of people don’t realize right now with these [Kansas City] Chiefs,” said the former Patriots wide reciver. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, they only won by two points.’ They don’t realize that every team and every coach that’s coaching against them, they’re sitting and they say, ‘That’s America’s most wanted. If we beat them, we’re going to get paid more. We’re going to get a new job. We’re going to do this.’ Every single team. And it’s not like you’re playing Louisiana Lafayette Agricultural School to the right. Everyone’s getting f****** paid.”
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To stay ahead, the Patriots would try to keep things quiet in order to have an advantage on the field.
“We were always kind of behind the curtain. Like, you know, we had that mystery about us, right? Which we loved because we didn’t talk outside the building,” said Patricia. “Like everything was in house. And we loved it because actually it was an advantage … we had them beat before they walked on the field. Because everyone was like, ‘how are they doing this?’ And once we put a little bit of doubt in their head in the first or second quarter, it was done.”
Patricia talked about a statement from Kyle Busch, a racecar driver, during an event they both attended.
“He just looks at me. He goes, ‘I love the boos.’ He goes, ‘It means you’re relevant.’ And I was like, ‘I freaking like that,” said Patricia. “It’s true. I like that a lot. Love that mentality. It was awesome.”
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