Edelman: Broncos Secondary 'A Nasty Group -- A Good Nasty'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots have been focused on the Denver Broncos all week, but in just a short while they will actually be "on to Denver."
The Patriots will head out to the site of the AFC Championship Game a day earlier than usual, as they'll practice one final time at Gillette Stadium in the late morning and then hop on a flight to Denver.
While many were still wiping the sleep from their eyes or enjoying a morning cup of joe, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick held an early morning press conference at Gillette. The Patriots head coach was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as he took the podium at 7 a.m. on Friday, just two days out from his 10th AFC Championship Game with New England.
"Is this our earliest one?" Belichick asked reporters right off the bat. While he's not one for the history books, he seemed pleased to set a new record on Friday.
Belichick said both the weather and an early kickoff in a different time zone played into the team's decision to head out to Denver earlier than usual. While fans back in New England will enjoy a 3 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, it'll be 1 p.m. in Denver. The extra half day in Denver should be enough for his team to get used to that time change.
"Last time we played on Sunday night, so a little different schedule," said Belichick.
That last time in Denver was a 30-24 overtime defeat back in Week 12, New England's first loss of the season. The Patriots were without receiver Julian Edelman in that one, as he was recovering from a broken bone in his foot.
Edelman, also up early to talk with the media on Friday, returned last weekend for New England's AFC Divisional Round win over the Kansas City Chiefs, hauling in 10 receptions for 100 yards. Tom Brady went Edelman's way four times on third down, moving the chains on two of them. While his impact was obvious, Edelman said there is plenty of room for improvement with a battle for a trip to the Super Bowl on deck.
"There were plenty of situations we didn't click and plenty of balls I didn't bring in. There is always something to work for and you can always be better," he said early Friday morning. "As long as you continue trying to improve, that's usually when you play your best ball. You have to learn from the bad things, and bring that over to this Denver game."
Edelman will be trying to allude a very talented collection of defensive backs on the Broncos, a group he called "nasty."
"They have a bunch of All Pro and Pro Bowlers. They're a nasty group – a good nasty. You know, football nasty," he said. "It's going to be a battle. You have [Aqib] Talib, [Chris] Harris, [T.J.] Ward, a bunch of dudes who play the game the way it's supposed to be played. If you slack off and don't work on the fundamentals of trying to get open, these guys take advantage."
Edelman was sure not to add any more "hot air" to the trash talk pile that's been growing in Denver.
"It's just noise. We're focusing on what they do, not what they say," he said. "We're going to focus on the process, and that's through preparation. That's what we do here."
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Broncos AFC Championship game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5FM at noon with Patriots Preview, following by three hours of postgame coverage after the game. WBZ-TV's coverage begins at noon with a two-hour edition of Patriots GameDay, with Patriots 5th Quarter being simulcast on WBZ-TV and myTV38 following the game.
