Reporting from Atlanta — Julian Edelman was six months into his New England Patriots career in the fall of 2009, a tentative rookie unsure where he fit in or if he had the chops to cut it in the NFL, when he bumped into coach Bill Belichick during a late-night walk out of the team’s practice facility.
“I had said maybe three words to him before that,” a bleary eyed Edelman recalled early Monday, just hours after the Patriots’ 13-3 Super Bowl win over the Rams and a victory celebration that went into the wee hours of the morning.
“I had seen him on the treadmill watching film at 10 o’clock at night, and I go, ‘Coach, you sure like football, huh?’ And he goes, ‘It beats being a plumber … see ya tomorrow.’
“At the time, he was a three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and a two-time Super Bowl-winning assistant. You see guys do that, and it’s gonna rub off on you. If it doesn’t, then you’re probably not gonna be there.”
Belichick is now a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, tying the legendary George Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL titles, and Patriots pass-thrower Tom Brady, 41, is a six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
The work ethic of both clearly rubbed off on Edelman, because not only is the slot receiver still here 10 years after the Patriots selected him in the seventh round out of Kent State, he’s a three-time Super Bowl champion himself.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates a touchdown by Sony Michel against the Rams inthe 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff watches after throwing an intereption in the fourth quarter as Patriots Adrian Clayton (94) and Duron Harmon celebrate.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks has his pass broken up by Patriots Duron Harmon (center) and Stephon Gilmore in the fourth quarter.
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Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman hoists the Lombardi Trophy after New England beat the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) sits on the bench behind his teammate after giving up a late game interception.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff is hit by Patriots Dont’a Hightower in the end zone after an incomplete pass in the 3rd quarter.
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Rams losing head coach Sean McVay walks off the field after meeting with Patriots head coach BIll Belichick in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) hugs New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) as the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bow.
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Rams receiver Robert Woods walks off the field after losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams running back C.J. Anderson, left, and reeiver Josh Reynolds look at the scoreboard late in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a pass in front of Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII.
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Patriots running back Sony Michel breaks free from the Rams defense in the 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams receiver Josh Reynolds makes a catch in front of Patriots Jason McCourty inthe 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) was wide open in the end zone but couldn’t hang onto a pass while getting hit by New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty (30) in the second half.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) beats Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56) for a reception in the Super Bowl.
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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman leans into Rams defensive back Aqib Talib during first half catch and run in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers tips a pass that was ultimately completed to Rams receiver Josh Reynolds from Jared in Goff during the first half.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff is harrassed by Patriots defenders as he throws a second half pass in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks fails to haul in a pass after it is broken up by Patriots defenders Stephon Gilmore and Duron Harmon during the fourth quarter.
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Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepts a pass intended for Rams receiver Brandin Cooks near the end zone during the fourth quarter.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks can’t haul in a pass in the end zone as he is defended by Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty in the third quarter.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) barely gets a pass off under pressure from Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers (98) and outside linebacker John Simon (55) during the second half.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski just misses a pass from Tom Brady as he is defended by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton.
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Linebacker Brandon King (36) lies in the confetti on the field after the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald drags down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, forcing an incomplete pass during the first half.
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Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates with offensive lineman Ted Karras (75) after kicking a field goal late in the fourth quarter to give New England a 13-3 lead.
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Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore prevents Rams receiver Brandin Cooks from making a catch in the third quarter.
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Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) intercepts a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) to end a scoring threat late in the fourth quarter.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks walks away as Patriots defensive backs celebrate an interception by Stephon Gilmore to kill a fourth-quarter drive.
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Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore intercepts a Jared Goff pass in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots running back Sony Michel dives into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hauls in a 29-yard pass to set up a Patriots touchdown.
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Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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From fire to lights, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, before he peeled off his shirt, performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty tries to grab the ball after breaking up a pass intended for Rams receiver Josh Reynolds during the first half.
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Rams defensive end John Franklin-Myers (94) and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forces him to fumble in the first half.
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Rams linebacker Cory Littleton intercepts a pass intended for Patriots receiver Chris Hogan in the first quarter.
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Patriots middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a loss in the first half.
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Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise takes down Rams running back C.J. Anderson for a loss in the first half.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t catch a pass while defended by Rams cornerback Aqib Talib during first-quarter action.
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Patriots fans outnumber Rams fans at the Marta train stop near Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Super Bowl LIII.
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Rams tight ends Tyler Higbee (89), Johnny Mundt (82) and Gerald Everett (81) take the field to warm up for Super Bowl LIII.
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Rams running back Todd Gurley jogs around the field during warmups for Super Bowl LIII.
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Patriots fans yell for players during warmups before Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Edelman will leave from Atlanta — after a quick trip with Brady to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., on Monday afternoon — with an extra piece of hardware, the Super Bowl most valuable player trophy, which he posed with during a Monday morning news conference.
The sure-handed and elusive Edelman won the award by finding enough seams and soft spots in an otherwise stout Rams defense to catch 10 passes for 141 yards in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, bringing his three-game playoff total to 26 receptions for 388 yards, an average of 14.9 yards per catch.
Before Belichick praised Edelman for his tenacity and persistence in going from a small-college dual-threat quarterback with virtually no pass-catching experience to an elite NFL receiver and Super Bowl MVP, he wanted to clear one thing up.
“First of all, I think Julian might have misquoted me,” Belichick said. “I mean, I have a ton of respect for plumbers. I can’t even turn the water on myself, so those people do a great job. I think I said ‘It beats working.’
“But I just can’t say enough about our football team. Certainly, Julian epitomizes the work ethic, the mental toughness, the physical toughness, the determination and will and just an extraordinary ability to perform under pressure. We have so many guys who do that well in so many different ways.”
Those traits jumped out at Belichick when he watched a tape of Kent State’s 48-3 loss to then-third-ranked Ohio State during Edelman’s junior year in 2007.
“He didn’t have a lot of blocking and they were getting killed, but what you saw in that game was how competitive he was, how hard he was to tackle, and how tough he was even when they were three or four touchdowns behind,” Belichick said. “He played the game with an intensity that was hard for them to handle.”
Belichick credited Rick Gosselin, a former Dallas Morning News sportswriter, with providing the initial tip on Edelman.
“He followed the draft very closely, and at one point he said to me, ‘You might want to take a look at this quarterback at Kent State — I don’t think he can play quarterback, but he’s a pretty good player,’ ” Belichick said.
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“So we kind of got going on him a little bit and we were like, ‘OK, what would we do with Julian? Is he a receiver, a punt returner, a defensive back, maybe a guy who could play multiple positions in the kicking game?’ ”
The Patriots worked out the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Edelman twice and selected him with the 232nd pick of the 2009 draft, unsure how his skills would translate to the NFL. They played him at defensive back, special teams and as a punt returner. He eventually settled in at receiver, though he still returns punts.
After Sunday night’s game, Edelman ranks second behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice with 115 career post-season receptions for 1,412 yards.
Edelman’s big game capped a comeback. He missed the 2017 season after undergoing surgery on a torn knee ligament, and he was suspended for the first four games this season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Edelman has declined to say what substance it was that led to the positive test, but has acknowledged he was “definitely accountable” for the penalty.
“Nobody has worked harder in my career than Julian to develop his skills and craft in positions that he really didn’t have any background in,” Belichick said. “He’s truly in the mold of the great versatile Patriots, Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel, guys like that. It’s so rewarding to see what he’s achieved and to be recognized like he was [Sunday] night.”
mike.digiovanna@latimes.com
Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna
