NFL Network's 'America's Game' Patriots special just a warm-up to 'Do Your Job'
"AFC championships are fun, but AFC championship rings suck."
That's insight from New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman in the new episode of NFL Network's Emmy Award-winning America's Game series.
It's quite rare to get behind the curtain in New England, where the message from players is always closely managed. NFL Films got some glimpses from Edelman, tight end Rob Gronkowski and safety Devin McCourty — all had experienced the sting of failure in Super Bowl XLVI after the 2011 season — as they reflected on their 2014 championship run.
Still, the team's "do your job" mantra — emblazoned on the Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX rings — remains pervasive, and this version of America's Game, which premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, feels like the warm-up act to Do Your Job: Bill Belichick & the 2014 Patriots which airs the next night.
Still, Patriots fans will likely enjoy Edelman's recollection of sharing "a bro moment" with Tom Brady against the Denver Broncos, an episode that has fueled what seems like a bit of a mancrush the wideout has on his superstar quarterback. Edelman also talks about Brady's mentality following the Patriots' 2-2 start to the season as their bandwagon emptied following a Week 4 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
New England supporters may also eat up Gronkowski's musings on his behind-the-back, one-handed catch against Denver, or McCourty's theory that his pre-game Super Bowl speech helped spark rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler's Lombardi-sealing interception. However i you're not a Pats fan, don't expect any pearls on the Deflategate scandal or even particularly entertaining discourse from Gronk.
This America's Game pre-kickoff appetizer provides typically strong production value. But if your Patriots appetite is limited — or if you're fresh off a Labor Day interlude and have to do your job — wait for Do Your Job and the far more enticing transparency from Belichick and his staff that's so infrequently witnessed.
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