Julian Edelman is getting older. He can feel it in his fingers. They don’t seem to react the same way they did when he was a young player. He’s a step behind.
And no, it’s not when the New England Patriots wide receiver is running routes or catching passes. It’s when he’s playing video games.
“The younger guys all know how to play video games,” Edelman said Tuesday in a phone interview, promoting “Call of Duty: Mobile.” “It’s so weird because I remember when I first got in the league, and I would play with Randy (Moss) and we’d literally be playing the old “Call of Duty.” And he was always just kind of a step behind. Because he was used to different games growing up. But he was still a semi-gamer.
“And now it’s kind of transitioned to where these kids started playing these crazy intricate games and complex controllers. I started off on Sega — there’s three buttons. Now you’ve got a button for everything. That’s why “Call of Duty: Mobile” is so good because it was so easy to learn and adjust and be able to just put the aim on there with the touch screen. Now I’m that older guy, and so all the younger guys are pretty good.”
Edelman’s clearly a pro at the promotion game. Such seamless integration. But he didn’t just talk video games Tuesday night.
Edelman, 33, has 21 catches for 226 yards with a touchdown this season. He caught four passes for 30 yards Sunday in the Patriots’ 16-10 win over the Buffalo Bills while pretty clearly taxing through a chest injury that knocked him out of the second half of the Patriots’ Week 3 win over the New York Jets.
So, was that one of the tougher games Edelman has played through?
“Football’s a tough game, and there’s been some tough games,” Edelman said. “I don’t know. It’s tough to say. But I’m definitely looking forward to going out and playing against a new team right now with these Redskins. Like Bob Seger said, gotta turn the page regardless of what it is, what you’re dealing with and yes, we emptied the tank last weekend, and now we’ve got to fill her back up and get ready to go and go play again. That’s the NFL life. So, that’s where I stand on that.”
The Patriots’ win over the Bills also saw one of Edelman’s best friends on the team, special-teams captain Matthew Slater, score his first NFL touchdown after 11 years in the league. Edelman and Slater were roommates early in their careers. They’ve been locker mates forever.
“I couldn’t be happier for a person to get a touchdown,” Edelman said. “The guy is such a selfless player, and he finally gets to experience a touchdown, which skill position players are fortunate enough to feel that feeling. It’s awesome, and there’s no one you’d want to see feel that feeling more than Slate with how he is as a professional and how he is as a player, captain, man on the field, man off the field. He checks all the boxes.”
The Patriots have another special-teamer on their roster, Gunner Olszewski, who has drawn comparisons to Edelman. Edelman played quarterback in college at Kent State before moving over to wide receiver and punt returner in the NFL. Olszewski played cornerback and punt returner in college before also moving over to wide receiver in the NFL. Olszewski also has taken over punt returning duties from Edelman this season.
“I think Gunner’s his own guy,” Edelman said. “He’s got his own little way about doing things. He’s a little stud. He works hard and he’s got that little bit of crazy you need to be a player like how he plays. I’m a big fan of him for sure. I’ll leave the comparisons or other people to make.”
Edelman named linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Dont’a Hightower and Chase Winovich as some of the best gamers on the Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady has a little too much on his plate for “Call of Duty.”
“His generation stopped with Sega and stuff, probably,” Edelman said. “He’s got three kids, a wife. I don’t know if he plays video games, honestly. He plays Wii, probably. Like Wii Bowling and stuff.”
It’s worth noting there’s a wider gap in age between Edelman and Olszewski, 23, than Brady, 42, and Edelman. Edelman really is one of the older guys.
