No huddle: Four Pats rap about roster cuts

Share

The league clock is steadily ticking away on roster cuts. By Friday, every team must be at 53.
One day before New England's roster gets trimmed from 90 to 75, four different players were made available via conference calls. Cornerback Devin McCourty, receivers Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman, and D-lineman Kyle Love all spoke about what this week is like.
MCCOURTY: "I think it's one of the worst parts about this business those two large cutdown dates. I think a lot of the young guys and guys that are on the team have worked hard and I think coming in every day, putting their best foot forward, working hard and then letting the chips fall where they may.
"I remember when my brother Jason was in the same spot early when he was a sixth round draft pick just trying to encourage him and help him out. I told him, 'You did everything you could to work hard for that position so, whatever happens, just be happy and be proud of yourself.'"
SLATER: "It was definitely a tough time. Reality is, you have to get through a certain amount of players down to 53. What I learned early in my career is to try not to think about it and just go out and continue my job, focus on what I had to do. Really, at the end of the day, if I put forth my best effort that's all I could control. It's tough when you're worrying about things you can't control because it can consume you. I just learned not to play the numbers game and just try to go out and take advantage of each and every day that you have here, and hope for the best from there.
"There is a bit of stress that comes with that, but I think every day around here is an up-tempo, tense day. We have to have a sense of urgency every day around here because we have a lot of things to improve on and a lot of things to get done. We understand what time of year it is and what happens. But that's part of the game and we can't do anything to change it."
EDELMAN: "People really don't talk about it. You're over here just thinking about yourself and what you have to do to make the team and contribute to the team. When that day comes I'm mostly thinking about what I've got to do to help this team.
"It's a stressful job. That's part of it getting into this that it's a possibility. What I do is just worry about what I can worry about, what I can control, and that's trying to be a better football player every day and taking the coaching from the coaches.
"You've just got to go out there and do what you think is best for your situation and the situation of the team. That's what I try to do."
LOVE: "It's just another work day. Guys just come in, try to do your job, get better every day. It's just another day for us.
"A couple guys have asked me, 'What about this? What's going on with this? When do you get that call?' and stuff like that. I just tell them, 'Guys, don't too much worry about that. Don't worry about that. Just work hard every day, give it your best effort and play hard when it comes down to it."

Contact Us