Julian Edelman Feels Like 'Child That Had Divorced Parents' When Picking Between Patriots And Buccaneers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Julian Edelman loves Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. They drafted him as a seventh-round college quarterback-turned-NFL wide receiver, and they were the only NFL home he ever knew.
Julian Edelman also loves Tom Brady, the man who threw him the football in countless clutch moments, winning three Super Bowls along the way.
So when it comes to making a Super Bowl pick for the upcoming season, the retired receiver had trouble picking a side.
"I feel like a child that had divorced parents with the situation that I'm about to go into right now," Edelman said on 'Inside The NFL' on Tuesday night. "You got Patriots, you got Buccaneers, I mean ... I feel like the kid. I'm the kid. You don't love one parent more."
And because he couldn't pick one side, Edelman decided to use some Patriot-like mind tricks to inspire his favorites.
"I know if I bet against those guys, they actually might make it," Edelman said. "Bulletin-board material, right?"
So when it came time to make his prediction for the Super Bowl, Edelman leaned into that inspirational role. Out of the NFC, he picked the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, whom Brady beat in Lambeau en route to last year's Super Bowl. For the AFC, he picked the Buffalo Bills, a rival of the Patriots who won the division last year for the first time in a long time.
Then Edelman picked the Bills to win it all.
"Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills," an enthused Edelman said. "They're taking the Super Bowl. I feel it."
While Super Bowl predictions aren't particularly valuable before a single snap has been played, Edelman did offer some interesting insight into how difficult it is to repeat as champions -- something Brady will obviously be gunning for with the Bucs this season.
"You are America's Most Wanted now. You ain't sneaking in. Everyone has you circled," Edelman said. "Every coach, every player thinks, 'We beat this team, I'm getting a new contract. I'm getting a new job.' It's unreal when you become the target in the NFL."
Edelman pointed to the 2015 Patriots as his best example.
"I'm telling you, in 2015, after we won in '14, we were rolling. We had a 10-game winning streak. We were 10-0. [Week 5], Nate Solder blows up a biceps tendon. [Week 9], Dion Lewis tears his ACL. [Week 10], I go out and I break my foot," Edelman recalled. "That was a better team I feel -- to me -- than the '14 team. Everything ... sometimes the ball's just gotta roll your way, and you gotta have the health on your side. Sometimes the best team's the most healthy team."
