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A longtime New England Patriot left for another team this week.
Well, another
longtime Patriot.
Tom Brady’s
departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rightly captured all the attention,
especially in a sports world that has stopped except for NFL free agency.
But Nate Ebner also will have a new home after a Patriots
career that was impressive in its own right. The former Ohio State special-teams
player has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Giants after eight years
with New England.
“The Giants was
the right fit for me,” Ebner said.
New York’s new
coach, Joe Judge, coached special teams for the Patriots starting in 2012, when
New England drafted Ebner.
“Obviously, I have
a strong relationship with him,” Ebner said. “He’s someone I spent years with
every single day arguing with and laughing with. He has a huge background in
special teams, and we kind of came into it together.”
That Ebner, 31, made it to the NFL at all, let alone has
lasted this long, is a story worthy of a book. In fact, he has written one that
he expects to be published next year.
Ebner was an elite
rugby player growing up in Hilliard. He didn’t play football at Hilliard
Davidson, but he and his father, Jeff, talked about him trying out at Ohio
State. After his father was killed during an attempted robbery at his family
business in 2008, Ebner decided to give it a go.
He made his mark on special teams and
became a Buckeyes captain. The Patriots then made him a surprise sixth-round
draft pick, and he became a special-teams fixture during New England’s dynasty.
In 2016, he went back to his first love when he made the
U.S. Olympic rugby team and competed in Rio de Janeiro.
Ebner won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. When asked about
his time with New England, Ebner spoke uninterrupted for more than three
minutes. He praised his teammates, Patriots fans and the culture that demanded
and rewarded ceaseless work and dedication.
“If you
want to be a (pro) football player, it’s a full-time job,” he said. “And in New
England, they really know how to work. If you’re not built for it, you don’t
last very long.”
Ebner lasted eight years, a tenure matched or exceeded
only by Brady, kicker Stephen Gostkowski, cornerback Devin McCourty and
receivers Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater.
“I’ve taken so
much from New England,” he said. “It’s been fantastic, and I couldn’t have been
more blessed.”
Now it’s on to a
new chapter. Ebner, who got married last year, has been in San Diego, staying
in shape by training with U.S. rugby players. No, he doesn’t intend to try out
again for the Olympic team, even if the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t affect
this year’s games in Japan.
NFL
free agency continues despite the pandemic, but on-site work with the Giants is
on hold.
“We’re kind of in
unchartered territory, right?” he said. “I’m going to do what I have to do to
get in touch with the people I need to. You just have to modify and adapt to
the situation and make the most of what you can with what you have.”
That’s what Ebner
has done his entire career. Now his goal is to make it to at least 10 years in
the NFL.
“I’m just blessed
to be able to play a ninth year,” Ebner said. “It’s not something I envisioned,
and the fact I’m able to go out and do my thing, it’s a blessing. But I feel
good and plan on playing as long as I can until the wheels fall off, and I
don’t feel it’s anytime soon.”
