Edelman Talks Rehab, Super Bowl Catch On Barstool Sports' 'Pardon My Take'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Julian Edelman may be out for the season, but the Patriots receiver continues to keep himself busy. He's promoting his new book Relentless: A Memoir, which he wrote with help from NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran, and is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered during the preseason.
Edelman opened up about his rehab process and a number of other topics on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast on Wednesday. As you might expect, the receiver is bummed that his schedule is completely different from his teammates.
"Rehab's a bitch. It sucks," said Edelman. "You go in, you're feeling decent, you warm up and you beat it up, and then you get stiff again. It's just a process. You go in six days a week, you're going in to work it. ... I go to TB12 Center after my rehab with the Patriots and do rehab there. Then you come back and it's a different way, and our life sucks [when you're injured] because you don't get to be with the fellas, you don't go to meetings as much."
PMT host "Big Cat" asked a follow-up about how many meetings Edelman is able to go to during his rehab. He explained why meetings are not nearly as big a priority as his knee.
"What's best for the team is you getting healthy," said Edelman. "The health of the team is the No. 1 thing. So you've got to go in and you're doing four hours of treatment and all these things. You're not gonna be able to have time to go into some of those things.
"It's kind of like class. We have different periods. So I'll see them in the hallways, at lunch, recess, things like that."
He was also asked about his now-iconic Super Bowl catch, which Big Cat describes as "overrated because it was second down". He admitted that he doesn't even think about it as much as he thinks about a drop that could have been a crucial mistake during the Patriots' comeback win over the Falcons.
Edelman also fielded a question about a time that he threw some serious shade at former Patriots receiver Wes Welker over his infamous dropped catch in Super Bowl XLVI. He ostensibly confirmed that it was said, but downplayed it as just some minor ribbing between the two.
"Everyone has banter. We all have banters," said Edelman. "Wes is like an older brother. When you get with a room full of fellas, you're tossing back some shots ... it's one of those things where you get to jawing and things are said."
Edelman declined to confirm or deny that he'd be able to make it back at any point during the NFL Playoffs in January (or perhaps February). But he explained that he simply doesn't want to "put a timetable" on an injury like a torn ACL, if only to avoid getting people's hopes up or becoming a target for reporters who wonder why he didn't return at a certain time.
It sure sounds like the Patriots definitely have to wait until next season to get Edelman back, but he at least seems to feel good about how his rehab is going.
