With little more than a quarter of the game remaining in Super Bowl 2017, the New England Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 and a comeback looked impossible, especially as the biggest deficit that had ever been overcome in a Super Bowl was ten points. Somehow - with a bit of magic from Tom Brady, an opportunistic touchdown from James White and a lucky/outrageous catch from Julian Edelman - they did it.
Edelman was mic'd up for the catch (and it showed him debating it afterwards with the Falcons' Brian Poole) but now footage has emerged of him and Brady at key moments throughout the game - footage which shows the incredible level of belief and character required to stage such a comeback. It also shows how central Brady and Edelman were to the comeback, both on and off the field. Given what would happen eventually, it raises hairs on the back of the neck hearing Edelman telling his team-mates: "You gotta believe, boys. You gotta believe...it's gonna be a hell of a story" and Brady imploring the Pats to "show some fight...you gotta play harder, gotta play tougher. Harder, tougher, everything".
Brady shouting "No fear!" at his team-mates while imploring them to "play to lose" gives some fascinating insight into the GOAT's mentality in clutch situations, a mentality that manifests itself in his incredible ability to step up when the game hangs in the balance.
"What did I say at halftime?"
You NEED to hear #Patriots stars Tom Brady & @Edelman11 mic'd up during #SB51: https://t.co/fD5HLMgKun
— NFL Canada (@NFLCanada) February 9, 2017
There is one revealing moment: when Edelman turns to Brady and asks, "It's a two-score game, right?" This no doubt betrays an uncertainty even within Edelman that the Pats could stage such an incredible comeback.
