Rugby Inspiration: Julian Edelman

I know....I know....I KNOWWWWWW. I bet everyone just read the title of this and said
"ENOUGH ALREADY. ENOUGH OF EDELMAN. SO MANY BANDWAGON FANS. SO MUCH SWOONING. I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT EDELMAN..."

But HEY - listen to his story. There's a reason to the phenomena that has become Edelman.

Before even the whiff of the idea of Edelman taking over the position for Wes Welker, he clearly had this fire radiating inside of him that I felt was apparent even in the brief (and not enough) time he had on the field.

This video explains where that fire came from. I watch this video before almost every workout, especially when I feel like giving up or that I'm not going anywhere (shout out to a men's rugger from my alma mater for showing me this video, we've stuck together as Pats fans in Buffalo, NY for a while!):


To give a little more background about that scouting report Edelman reads, he was flat out not invited to the 2009 NFL Combine....it's pratically like getting cut from the NFL. Every year the NFL invites about 335 players to attend this scouting event, and in 2009 Edelman wasn't one of them.
HOWEVER, while the fastest short shuffle recorded at the combine was 3.96, Edelman ran it in 3.92 at a college pro day held in March.

Check this out:

 Notice how THERE'S NO SCORES RECORDED UNDER HIS COMBINE RESULTS BECAUSE HE WASN'T FRIGGIN INVITED. 

In addition to the pro day results, private sessions with the Patriots are also accredited to Edelman making his way onto the NFL radar - hence the tagline for Coach Up, an organization that connects athletes to private sessions with coaches, says "Private coaching propelled Julian Edelman to NFL stardom."

FINALLY, Edelman signed a steal of a deal for the Pats in July 2009. He was picked in the 7th round of the draft, 232nd overall. However making it into the NFL isn't where Edelman's obstacles dissipated into thin air....

In about the same time frame when Edelman was drafted, Wes Welker was tearing it up on the Pats and quite a force to reckon with. All eyes were glued on him.

But sitting quietly and patiently for his turn was Edelman, and I'll never forget when he first stepped onto the field in 2009 as Welker suffered some injuries. To put it simply, he TORE-IT-UP. I remember thinking
"WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH. WHO-IS-THAT."

I noticed the #11 ever since then, whenever he came on the field in my head I thought "PHEW, there's #11 again. He's reliable, good shit's about to happen." It was always a rush of calm when he popped up on the field.

Then Edelman had some of his own injuries, and suddenly I found myself saying "WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH. WHERE DID HE GO."

Even after returning from his injury with more record breaking rookie stats, in 2010 he sat patiently again and waited for his turn.
...well, I'm sure he didn't actually just sit....he loves practicing catching one handed passes hours before game time.

Near the end of the 2010 season, he popped back up on the field and set more records for punt returns and yards per return. In 2011 he even started playing some defense!! He was also nominated in the NFL as the "Hardest Working Man," which in my book is more honorable than ANY type of MVP award.

The more opportunities Edelman capitalized on, the more he played until he (FINALLY) took over Wes Welker's position and became the vital, energetic, and passionate player that he always has been.

But let's review some of the amazing feats that Edelman has over come over the years:

1. His "unconventional" size - yeah laugh about how small he appears, then two seconds after you'll find yourself flat on your back with a broken nose and your two front teeth knocked out. It seems INHUMAN how he is able to gain so many yards when running the ball and pinned up against people at least twice his size (hence the nickname "Minitron"). But that's because there's no substitute or better asset than hard work eithic. Putting the time and energy into fitness will make you defeat Goliath 9 times out of 10.
   
2. How many times he was told "NO" - being cut, not picked, or not invited is NOT an easy thing to deal with. I know from experience! No matter what setting, rejection is freakin' tough (especially when you experience it a few times in a row). It's even tougher to not settle and not accept no for an answer. Even sitting on the sidelines for long periods of time and not playing even though you're working your tail off can gnaw at you...
    
3. His versatility - while many people don't know off the bat that Edelman's primary position in college football was at QB, that's really where his expertise was in. However, Edelman clearly has been open to utilizing his skills wherever he is needed the most (and I mean....if you're picked up by the Patriots....it's a smart move to try out other positions than QB). He seems very similar to Tim Tebow, except for the fact that Tebow REFUSED to play any other positions. I HATE that mentality. It's a humble decision to agree to play wherever your team needs you, but in the end it benefits YOU more than anyone. Edelman's ability to learn multiple positions on offense and defense is what has truly made him such a threat across the NFL. But at the same time, people don't realize how HARD it is to pick up a new position or play something that is not your strongest setting. It's hard and it's awkward, but instead of saying "I should be playing QB" you should be saying "I should learn this position UNTIL it's as strong as QB."

So basically, he's such a rugby inspiration to me because he reiterates these lessons to me -

• Don't ever count yourself out. If you want it, get it...and settle for nothing less.
  
• Explore all your options. Not in the running for scrumhalf? Learn how to play fullback...or prop....or JUST ALL THE POSITIONS FOR THAT MATTER.
  
• If you're not getting the results you want, ask what you can change or add to your routine to get there. There's ALWAYS something more you can do or learn.
  
• Don't take no for an answer....no matter how many coaches cut  you or how many people tell you you're wasting your time.

And that's also why I lost my voice and teared up for a hot second when I saw Edelman all revved up and going NUTS at the Superbowl victory parade - he truly believes everything is earned, so when he was dancin' around like a madman it was because HE KNEW THEY ALL EARNED THEIR SUPERBOWL RINGS. 

Oh, and he's a hoot :) 

...and loves Dunks and cats.