Julian Edelman Once Awkwardly Finding a Naked Belichick in the Hot Tub is All of Us

You might think there are better slot receivers in football than Julian Edelman. But you have to concede, there is no better story teller in the game. Even without the illustrations, this outtake from his “100% Julian Edelman” documentary is a perfect example. The man can paint a word picture like few others. He has that rare knack for transporting the listener and making them feel like they were there and sharing his own emotions.

I have a weird thing that I’ve never fully been able to understand about myself. And it’s that I secretly love socially awkward moments. I always have. Parties where I really don’t know anybody. First dates. Meeting your girlfriend’s parents. I just inexplicably like to feed off the nervous energy a lot more than when I’m among friends I’m comfortable with. I officiated a wedding this weekend (my fourth, and counting) and the Irish Rose and I were sat at a table full of strangers and I loved the awkward pauses and inside jokes only a couple of people could get. It makes no sense to me either.

But this Edelman story? I don’t think I could’ve handled this level of awkwardness. This is social tension on a cellular level. Excruciating to the core. Like one of the worst Ricky Gervais version of “The Office” moments, only more so. Don’t get me wrong, Belichick can be a charming, debonair, witty, bon vivant of a guy who can spin quite a story in his own right. Believe me, in my old radio job I talked to him off air and there were times we had to shoo him out of the studio when the commercial break was over.

But that wasn’t naked in a hot tub at 11 pm. And I wasn’t rookie 7th Rounder Julian Edelman, trying to make the switch from Kent State quarterback to NFL wide receiver. Just another camp body trying to grab the 53rd roster spot, forced to make self-conscious small talk with the greatest mind in the history of the profession with his funny business staring me in the face.

Based on how successful Edelman has been, part of me thinks the whole thing might have been a test. Belichick getting a measure of the man. Because if a man can handle the pressure of chatting you up while you’re hanging brain in an empty facility late at night, then making catches down 25 points in the Super Bowl is child’s play. No wonder he’s about to become the most prolific postseason receiver of all time. If he can handle that, he can handle anything life can throw at him.