ATLANTA (AP) — Teammates have called their relationship a “bromance.”

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady himself openly uses the word love to describe his bond with Julian Edelman Womens Damien Harris Jersey , a receiverhe’s come to depend on during his career.As the duo prepares to play in a fourth Super Bowl together, each says the connection might be tighter ever — both on and off the field.“We have a great relationship, Jules and I, and I trust him so much,” Brady says. “He’s always been kind of like my little brother, in a good way. I don’t have a little brother, but he’s kind of like a little brother and he knows how much I love him.”In Edelman’s case, it’s a little brother who has established himself as one of the best slot receivers in Patriots history.He missed the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL and the first four games of this season for violating the league’s performance enhancers policy. But the 32-year-old helped Brady steady an offense that struggled early this season and had to adjust following the suspension of Josh Gordon heading into the final two games.Edelman ended the regular season with a team-high 850 receiving yards and was second on the team with 74 receptions and six touchdowns. His production has continued through New England’s first two playoffs games, with Edelman hauling in 16 catches for a team-high 247 yards.Heading into the matchup with the Rams, his 1 Authentic Damien Harris Jersey ,271 postseason receiving yards are the most in Patriots history. There are also just two receivers in NFL postseason history with over 100 catches: Jerry Rice with 151 and Edelman with 105.It’s earned him high compliments not only from Brady, but from Rice, who praised Edelman as someone who has an attitude of “‘I’m going to do what I want to do, and I’m going to go out and I’m going to ball.”It not unlike the determination used to describe Brady, who at age 41 continues to prove his skeptics wrong.“He’s a really good football player, the best,” Edelman said. “He goes out and he consistently proves it. He’s one of our leaders and he’s a leader for a reason.”Though they first met as teammates in New England when Edelman was drafted by the Patriots a decade ago, he and Brady took remarkably similar paths to get to the NFL.Both natives of California, each of them grew up idolizing the San Francisco 49ers’ dynasty led by Joe Montana and Rice.Brady played his college ball at Michigan, with Edelman eventually choosing Kent State across the border in Ohio.Their stories continued to mirror each other when it came time for the NFL draft.Brady infamously wasn’t selected until the sixth round in 2000. Edelman Damien Harris Jersey Boys , an undersized quarterback who switched to receiver, didn’t hear his name called until the seventh round in 2009.Chasing the NFL was a leap of faith for Edelman, who nearly signed a contract with the CFL’s British Columbia Lions to play quarterback.“I sat down with my father and basically, he’s like ‘Let’s do it,'” Edelman recalled. “I just had an eerie feeling in my stomach and I told him I didn’t grow up wanting to play in the CFL.I went and tried to play in the NFL. That was my decision. Everything happens for a reason.”Edelman was already a fan of Brady’s when he arrived as a rookie, but he said he almost instantly recognized an underdog spirit in his new quarterback as well.As their relationship has evolved, they say they’ve developed their own sort of silent language on the field, and have unique ways to hype up each other.An example was during the AFC championship game when video captured Edelman in Brady’s face yelling , “You’re too old!” as Brady sat on the bench after throwing a first-half touchdown pass.“You’ve got two fiery guys. I think it’s fun to watch,” Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty said.“You see two guys that are the ultimate competitor. How hard they both compete in practice Infant Damien Harris Jersey , you see the bromance at times, you see the fiery looks they give each other sometimes if someone messes up. Just that look of not disappointment, of just like ‘get it together.’ I think it’s almost like brothers.”Brady said he continues to be amazed by Edelman.“Look at his stature. He wasn’t built like Megatron (Calvin Johnson). He’s just built the way he was built and I think he’s just worked so hard over the years to learn how to play receiver,” Brady said. “He’s just done an incredible job.” The brothers will get honored by their alma mater."Later this week, New England Patriots defensive backs Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty will return to their alma mater to be honored by the school: the twin brothers will receive honorary degrees on Sunday, May 19 when they also address graduates at Rutgers University as this year’s commencement speakers.“Rutgers has always been a special place to us,” Jason McCourty told the university website. “The education we received on and off the field helped lay the foundation for so much of what we’ve accomplished. Returning to Rutgers now is certainly humbling and we’re grateful for the opportunity. We hope to deliver a message that will inspire the Class of 2019 to chase their own vision of success.”The McCourty brothers arrived at Rutgers in 2005, with Devin taking a redshirt season and Jason playing as a rotational cornerback during his freshman season. By 2006, both had earned starting roles on one of the nation’s better defensive units. Following the 2008 season, Jason left the school and subsequently got drafted in the sixth round by the Tennessee Titans. One year later Damien Harris Jersey Draft , Devin was selected in round one by the Patriots.By the time the latter left college, the McCourty twins had a combined 100 games of experience with the Scarlet Knights under their belts. Last season, almost ten years after last playing alongside each other, the brothers were reunited for the first time since their Rutgers days: New England acquired Jason via trade from the Cleveland Browns, and he joined his brother as a starter on the Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning secondary.Three months later, the two will now see the next honor bestowed upon them: Rutgers will award them with honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees as part of the school’s 253rd anniversary commencement.“The McCourtys often return to Rutgers to inspire current Scarlet Knights and to lead fundraising events with Embrace Kids Foundation, which helps families whose children are facing cancer, sickle cell and other serious health challenges,” the school wrote on its website. “[They] regularly run kids’ football camps, visit schools and children’s hospitals Damien Harris NFL Jersey , volunteer at community centers, support disaster relief aid and promote food drives for the underprivileged.”“The McCourtys have also been strong advocates in the fight for criminal justice reform, fair educational funding and racial equality at the federal, state and local levels through awareness, education and allocation of resources,” the school continued when writing about the reasoning behind them receiving their honorary degrees.