On Tuesday, numerous Patriots coaches wore t-shirts that said “TeamUSA” with “12 Ebner” on the back.
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That wasn’t the only support the Patriots gave – Belichick and several Patriots players were wearing Team USA Ebner shirts at camp on Tuesday.
Back home, Bill Belichick stopped practice so his players could watch their teammate compete a world away at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Earlier Tuesday, the US narrowly lost to world powerhouse Argentina, falling 17-14.
Ebner’s tactical awareness may not have been the most refined – there were several times he looked out of place on the field- but he was fearless in attacking the Argentina players and covered a ton of ground.
“I’ve seen parts of matches, had no idea what I was looking at, but I think that was the first time I had a general understanding of the game and watched the match”, said Patriots special team captain Matthew Slater.
“I’ll go back to camp and get into the NFL football season”, he said. Former American shot putter Michael Carter won silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, just months before making his debut as a nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers.
Ebner, a safety who helped the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX, is taking a leave from offseason football workouts to compete at the Olympics.
“I hope it does worlds for rugby”. “And it’s an honor to be here with this group of guys that works so hard”.
He believes the women’s Olympic teams will also inspire a whole new generation of young players.
Rugby sevens features two seven-minute halves divided by a two-minute halftime plus any stoppage time kept by the referee. Football is a violent game played right at one another. “I hope it changes the game”, Ebner said after the Americans followed the loss in the opener with a 26-0 shutout of host Brazil.
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“I’m going to have to gain some more weight because we don’t run as much!” he said of National Football League duties. “No one runs or tackles like this, it’s unreal”.
