Julian Edelman Pulls A Mark McGwire On The Giants: 'I'm Not Here To Talk About The Past' [VIDEO]
By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)
BOSTON (CBS) -- Julian Edelman has a dark history with the New York Giants, as do many current and former Patriots - but unlike many fans and us in the media, he's making a conscious effort to put those bad memories behind him.
It's not exactly breaking news that a Patriots player insisted to reporters that he is just focused on the current opponent, but Edelman was the first one to rival Bill Belichick's dismissal of a question about midseason grades.
It's fair to ask Edelman about his past with the Giants. He visited the team as a free agent in 2013, before re-signing with the Patriots. The Giants were the only team Edelman visited, and coach Tom Coughlin was impressed - and wishes the Giants did more to get him.
Just don't ask Edelman about it, because he'll Mark McGwire you. Patriots beat writing stalwart Mike Reiss asked Edelman what he remembers about his visit to the Giants, and Edelman echoed McGwire's infamously evasive steroids testimony when he said he remembered something that the Patriots seem to remember a lot about the past: nothing.
"I just remember right now that I'm focusing on this week and the process that we're preparing for the New York Giants," said Edelman. "I'm not here to talk about the past...So I'm just trying to focus on [the Giants]." Coughlin agreed, saying it's "another year" and that it's "in the past".
Obviously, considering the historic games these teams have played in recent years, reporters are obligated to ask the Patriots and Giants about them. A reporter earlier this week asked Tom Brady if the sight of the Giants disgusts him, and Brady started his response with "Well they're a good football team."
But what does the past have to do with this Sunday's game? It has more than nothing to do with it. Edelman and the team can say whatever they want; as focused as they may be on this particular game, the reality of the past three Patriots-Giants games is unavoidable - and it still holds weight in two crucial areas.
The biggest relevance Super Bowls XLII and XLVI have this week is that it's the same two coach/quarterback duos taking the field once again. And it's likely that Coughlin and Eli Manning will at least show up at the Meadowlands on Sunday focused, disciplined, and ready to play.
The Giants under Coughlin with Manning under center haven't made nearly as many bone-headed mistakes against the Patriots that everyone else seems to make on a weekly basis. While so many coaches lose their minds trying to keep up with Belichick's chess match, Coughlin tends to keep the Giants in control. If you're unprepared or even just under-prepared when you face the Patriots, you're hosed. Besides perhaps the Baltimore Ravens, the Giants are arguably the only team in the league that always looks prepared when they play the Patriots.
In other words, the Giants remain a worthy foe on the other side of the chessboard.
Statistically and on the eye test, the Giants defense is far less equipped to stop Brady this season than in previous years, and this will be Edelman's first chance to beat the Giants as the Patriots' No.1 receiver. But you can be certain Coughlin and the Giants will at least show up and look like they have a clue.
While Belichick leaves most NFL coaches' heads spinning on Sundays, Coughlin is one of very few head coaches in history who has bested Belichick on multiple occasions. Coughlin and the Giants don't look as prepared every week as they do when they play the Patriots, and that's because they know what it takes.
But of course, it's just one game. Those Super Bowls ultimately have no bearing on what happens come kickoff on Sunday. And Edelman, Brady, Coughlin, and Belichick all know that. The past is the past, and this Sunday's game is just another chapter in the saga.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
