FOXBORO – Sometimes, laughing something off with a quick one-liner makes the most sense.
Julian Edelman took that route after yesterday’s organized team activities when posed with a question about playing for what some perceive to be the most-hated franchise in the NFL.
“They hate you if they ain’t you,” Edelman said with a smile.
The wide receiver was loosely paraphrasing the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy, “The Interview,” where the phrase is actually, “They hate us ‘cause they ain’t us.”
Whether or not the Patriots believe the backlash over Deflategate has to do with jealousy or vitriol over the integrity of the game is almost irrelevant at this point.