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Brady talked Scarnecchia, Edelman, and ‘emotional’ AFC title win in radio interview

Jim Davis /Globe Staff

The AFC Championship win was such an effort for the Patriots that even Tom Brady was too tired to start studying the team’s next opponent afterward.

Asked in his weekly WEEI interview on “Mut & Callahan” if he started looking at film on the Patriots’ Super Bowl opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, on the flight home from Kansas City, Brady explained the circumstances.

“Oh no, man. Everyone was exhausted after that game,” said Brady. “I don’t think anything productive would’ve happened at 3 in the morning, everyone was so drained. I didn’t get home until 5:15, 5:30. So I just woke up, actually, and going to get the day started.”

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The Patriots, as Brady noted afterward with Chris Hogan, had been counted out.

“I feel like that’s just the way it’s been in general this season,” said Brady of the perception of the team.

In an unusually candid quote, Brady placed the win over the Chiefs in context.

“That was as emotional a game as I think I’ve been through,” Brady explained. “What a great win for our team. We went through a lot of adversity all year.”

For Brady, who continues to play at the highest level of the NFL as a 41-year-old, he’s still adding to his legacy.

“You play sports for a lot of reasons, but something like that that happened last night it was a game that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.”

In the Patriots’ latest playoff win, wide receiver Julian Edelman added another chapter to his already impressive list of playoff performances. Making seven catches for 96 yards, he’s long since earned Brady’s admiration.

“I can’t say enough good things about Julian and what he’s accomplished, and what a year he’s had,” said Brady. “I’m just so proud of him in every area. You’re right, he does all the dirty work. He’s a guy that goes in, is blocking, he’s always there to mix it up, mentally and emotionally. And just his overall performance on game day, running through the middle of the defense, taking hits and making play after play after play, he’s just an absolute incredible player for this franchise. He’s one of the great receivers to play this game.”

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Brady highlighted Edelman’s ability to step up in the playoffs.

“I mean that’s what this is all about. It’s about playing your biggest in the biggest moments, and I think Julian epitomizes that. He’s incredibly productive, and then the postseason comes and he’s even more productive than he is in the regular season. They’re all huge, huge plays. He’s caught two of the biggest plays in postseason history for our team, and obviously added to that last night.”

Asked how impressed he was with his offensive line’s play — considering none of them are star players — Brady spoke up on behalf of his teammates.

“Well I think that they’re stars,” Brady contended. “I wouldn’t rather have anyone in the league other than those five guys that I’m playing with up front, and those guys have played incredibly hard.”

And on the topic of the offensive line, Brady reserved his highest praise for the unit’s coach, Dante Scarnecchia.

“Dante is the greatest offensive line coach in the history of the NFL, and he gets those guys playing so well together,” Brady said. “They’re communication is just . . . to go through yesterday’s game without a penalty or a false start, I mean that crowd noise last night was almost deafening on every play.”

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