Edelman Putting In Some Extra Work
BOSTON (CBS) -- While a general air of excitement surrounds the New England Patriots as they prepare for Saturday's AFC Divisional Round matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Julian Edelman is champing at the bit to get out on the field.
When Edelman hits the Gillette Stadium turf on Saturday, it will be his first game action in nearly a month. A concussion sidelined the receiver for New England's final two regular season games, an injury Edelman says is in the past. He was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice report, but all signs point to him being ready to go for the weekend.
In order to knock off any rust ahead of Saturday's tilt, Edelman has been taking a few extra snaps with quarterback Tom Brady to get back on the same page -- something they had few issues with during the regular season.
"We've been practicing the last week and a half or something. I know Tom a little bit here now over these last few years and I'm sure he knows me, so there's a foundation. Even if whatever happened didn't happen, we still have to continue to get better," said Edelman, who led the Patriots with 92 receptions during the regular season. "With that said that's what we're trying to do, going out each day maybe staying out after throwing a couple extra routes. Seeing each other and doing that kind of stuff and bouncing ideas off each other. It's like any other week I guess, just the stakes are a little higher."
Edelman is looking forward to another playoff showdown with the Ravens, who invade Gillette for the fourth time over the last six postseasons. It's a matchup Patriots fans are likely sick of, given Baltimore's recent postseason success in New England, but one that Edelman is excited for.
"I've probably played this team the most out of any team I've played in my career here. It's going to be fun," said Edelman, who had two touchdowns in New England's Wild Card loss to Baltimore back in 2009. "You know these guys are going to bring it. Everybody thinks that we hate them, but these are the types of games where it's cold, it's a battle. You like competing against the Baltimore Ravens because you know they're a good team. We have a few more days to prepare and we're going to get ready for that."
While Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, two of the biggest names on the Baltimore defense when they beat New England in the 2012 AFC Championship at Gillette, are no longer suiting up for the Ravens, Edelman knows there are plenty of big hitters who will be coming his way Saturday night.
"They still have a lot of explosive players at all positions. They're a real savvy team in the playoffs. Once they are in here in this tournament it seems like they always do good things," he said. "We're definitely going to have our work cut out for us. It's definitely going to be a battle."
But when those big hits come, Edelman will be ready. Isn't he always?
Tune in to Saturday's Patriots-Ravens AFC Divisional Round playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 1:30pm with Patriots Preview, and stay tuned for three full hours of postgame coverage following the game.
Tune in to a special edition of Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV at 11:30am on Saturday, with Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38 immediately following the game.
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