FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Marco Motta Youth Jersey . - Julian Edelmans college coach saw him make some amazing plays while he was at school.So he wasnt shocked when the wide receiver unleashed a 51-yard touchdown pass for the Patriots.When youre only going to throw one pass in an entire game and you make it a perfect strike, Doug Martin said, thats big.Edelmans junior college offensive co-ordinator also was watching on television last Saturday when Edelman hit Danny Amendola with the tying throw late in the third quarter of New Englands 35-31 divisional playoff win over the Baltimore Ravens.I texted him after the game, Bret Pollack said. I said, it reminded me of the old days and he said it kind of felt the same way.Those days go back to Edelmans time at Woodside High School in California where he carried the Wildcats to a 13-0 record as a senior.On Sunday night, hell play in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts (13-5) after leading the Patriots (13-4) with 92 receptions in the regular season and adding eight against Baltimore.Thats quite a journey for an undersized athlete who had to go to the College of San Mateo for one year to attract scholarship offers, received just two from four-year colleges after that and wasnt drafted until the final round in 2009.Pollack, since promoted to head coach at San Mateo, remembers Edelman as driven, hard-working and extremely elusive.Hes very tenacious. Hes unrelenting, Pollack said. If somebody tells him he cant do something, all his energy goes into doing it just to say, I told you so. During Edelmans season at San Mateo, Martin, the coach at Kent State at the time, told him hed have a chance to compete for the quarterback job at the Ohio school.Edelman jumped at it.He has a really healthy chip on his shoulder, said Martin, now head coach at New Mexico State. Its not like it consumes him, but it drives him. And I dont think in 30 years of coaching Ive ever had a player thats been more appreciative than Julian of the opportunity we gave him.He texted me after Saturdays game and said, Coach, I just want to thank you for everything to give me the opportunity to be where I am today.Edelman got his NFL opportunity when the Patriots drafted him in the seventh round, the 232nd out of 256 players picked.Playing behind Wes Welker, he caught just 69 passes as he battled injuries in his first four seasons. While waiting his turn at wide receiver, Edelman returned three punts for touchdowns — one each in 2010, 2011 and 2012 — showing elusiveness developed in spread offences at San Mateo and Kent State.He made plays for us where you just shook your head and said, Wow, Pollack said.After the 2012 season, Welker left for Denver and Edelman became a free agent before signing a one-year contract with New England.His 105-catch season in 2013 earned him a four-year deal.Everyone starts at a certain place, but you earn what you get in the NFL. The competition is tough, quarterback Tom Brady said. So a guy like Julian, for example, who has fought every single day of his life to get to this point — talk about something that strengthened him over time — obviously his experience as a younger athlete did.He fought every day since he got here and he doesnt stop now.Edelman says hes self-motivated, but also got a push from his father while preparing for the NFL combine.Id be done training and hed be like, Did you outwork those guys? Edelman said, and I was like, Dad, I was running by myself. He goes, Im not talking about those guys. Im talking about the three kids that are still in high school that are going to be trying to take your job in three, four years, five years.I always try to think about (that) kind of stuff.In three years at Kent State, Edelman threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for 22.His coach, Martin, took over in 2004 for Dean Pees. Hes the Ravens co-ordinator whose defence gave up Edelmans touchdown pass.And this Sunday night, the Patriots will face the Kent State quarterback who preceded Edelman, Colts kickoff and punt returner Josh Cribbs.Ive never been around a more competitive person than Julian, Martin said. Its not even close.Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater sees that all the time. Theyve been roommates for four years and have adjacent lockers at Gillette Stadium.Its somewhat of an odd couple — the religious Slater and the fun-loving Edelman — but both work extremely hard at football.He was raised by some great folks that really instilled him (with a) work ethic and understood that nothing was going to be given to you in this life, Slater said. And hes embraced that.Coach Bill Belichick demands maximum effort and, he says, no one works harder than Edelman.So even though the Patriots had never used Edelmans pass play this season, they kept practicing it until they found just the right moment. And Martin, at home in New Mexico, watched with pride.I told him I was glad to see he could still throw a little bit, he said with a laugh. Hes just really excited to be where he is.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Sebastian Giovinco Juventus Jersey .com) - Ha Na Jang fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday and she jumped four strokes clear of the field with the second round of the season-opening Coates Golf Championship suspended by darkness. Claudio Marchisio Jersey . Moulson left late in the third period of Thursdays 3-2 win in Phoenix with an undisclosed injury, which the club revealed on Friday was an upper-body issue.VANCOUVER -- For at least a few hours, the Vancouver Whitecaps could put the Camilo Sanvezzo saga aside. As their best player continued to orchestrate his dramatic exit from the club, the Whitecaps added size and creativity at Thursdays Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Vancouver had two picks in the first seven, taking defender Christian Dean at No. 3 before adding midfielder Andre Lewis at No. 7. "Being selected is a dream come true," said Dean. "Especially a team on the West Coast, growing up in California ... (Vancouver is) close to home." Hearing a player actually wanting to be with the club should come as welcome news for fans of the Whitecaps, who are now resigned to the fact that Sanvezzo -- the flashy Brazilian striker who won the 2013 MLS Golden Boot -- will be sold to a Mexican team after forcing Vancouvers hand. And its not only Dean who is happy about his new team. "My mom is ecstatic," he added. "I think shes happier than I am." The 20-year-old from East Palo Alto was selected using the pick Vancouver acquired in the July 2012 trade that sent striker Eric Hassli to Toronto FC. Dean spent the last three seasons with the NCAAs California Golden Bears, starting all 55 games he played. "I bring energy. Big, athletic, on the larger side," said Dean, who stands six foot three and weighs 198 pounds. "Good feet -- especially at centre back, I kind of pride myself a little bit on that. Its something that I like to use to my advantage." The Philadelphia Union, who hosted the draft, traded up to take Connecticut goalkeeper Andre Blake with the first pick before D.C. United used the second selection to take defender Steve Birnbaum, who was Deans college teammate at Cal. "I dont know much about Philly," said Blake, who originally hails from Jamaica. "I heard something yesterday about how its the place for a cheesesteak or something. Thats as much as I know. But Im pretty sure Ill get adjusted and learn everything I need to know." Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact took Creighton defender Eric Miller with the fifth pick, FC Dallas took Calgary-born striker Tesho Akindele from the Colorado School of Mines at No. 6, and Toronto FC traded up to draft Xavier defender Nick Hagglund at No. 10. Left-footed with the ability to play either in the centre or left of defence, Dean said he will have to increase the physical side of his game against MLS competition. "I think I will have to adapt. College was a physical game, especially stepping up from the youth level to college, it got more physical," he said on a conference call. "I think playing against bigger and stronger people, Ill have to become a lot more physical and to do that Ill just have to make a little mental jump." Dean might just get that chance as Vancouvers backline has at least one hole heading into training camp next month with the retirement of Y.P. Lee. Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit doesnt have a contract for 2014, but new head coach Carl Robinson has said he wwants to bring the veteran back into the fold. Alessandro Matri Juventus Jersey. "I think Im ready to come in and play, wherever I would have ended up," said Dean, who suited up as a centre back in college this season after two years on the left. "Especially with Vancouver, coming in the defence will be something that will be a possibility for me." Robinson said the Whitecaps had Dean rated high on their draft board and were delighted to see him available when it was Vancouvers turn to pick at No. 3. "Christian is a fantastic athlete. I think it was clear for everyone to see at the combine, as well as throughout the college season, that he was a fantastic prospect," said Robinson. "Hes got a lot to learn, but hes got a good head on his shoulders." Dean has never been to Vancouver and said that he wasnt tipped off during pre-draft discussions with the club that the Whitecaps would be his destination. "I talked to the coaching staff while I was at the combine during one of the player meetings and hit it off," he said. "Other than that there was no real talk of Hey, well select you or stuff like that. "It was kind of a bit of a surprise, but in the end Im happy that I got picked by Vancouver." Lewis was also pleased to be joining the Whitecaps, but for different reasons. "Im a fan of Vancouver because of Darren Mattocks," the 19-year-old said of the Whitecaps striker and fellow Jamaican. "I love the support that the fans give to Vancouver. Im looking forward to starting my professional career with the Whitecaps and to just go there and work hard and do my best." Lewis said he and Mattocks live about 10 minutes apart but that pair didnt speak about the possibility of being teammates in MLS. The five-foot-nine, 145-pound midfielder, who will join the Whitecaps from Jamaican club Portmore United F.C. when pre-season training begins next week, represented his country at the under-17 and under-20 levels before earning his first senior call up in 2012. "On the pitch, I always want to be a top player," said Lewis. "Win or lose, I want to be on top of my game at all times." Robinson said that like Whitecaps striker Kekuta Manneh -- a player that Vancouver selected fourth overall at last years draft -- Lewis has "something special." "I think hes got a fantastic football brain," said Robinson. "Hes got a fantastic understanding of the game for someone so young and he was a prospect that we wanted to make sure we got on board." Notes: As a Generation Adidas player, Deans salary will not count against the MLS salary cap. ... Dean said he is friends with Whitecaps striker Omar Salgado from their time with the U.S. under-20 team. ... In the second round, Toronto selected Elon midfielder Daniel Lovitz at No. 24, Vancouver took Connecticut striker Mamadou Diouf at No. 30 and Montreal went with Cal Poly midfielder George Malki at No. 37. ... The third and fourth rounds of the draft take place on Tuesday. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ChinaCheap MLS Soccer Jerseys ' ' '
