{"id":7520,"date":"2016-08-22T05:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=7520"},"modified":"2016-08-21T19:31:15","modified_gmt":"2016-08-21T23:31:15","slug":"back-olympic-rugby-nate-ebners-focus-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/08\/22\/back-olympic-rugby-nate-ebners-focus-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"Back from Olympic Rugby, Nate Ebner\u2019s Focus is on the Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Very Grateful for the Support, but now is all about football<\/h2>\n

Patriots safety and special teams\u2019 standout Nate Ebner spoke to the media for the first time Sunday since his return from the Olympics in Brazil. And judging from his comments, he hasn\u2019t forgotten a thing about what makes the Patriots go. And that is focusing on your job.<\/p>\n

While he loves the sport of rugby, the Olympics for him were over as soon as the US rugby team\u2019s schedule was done. While finishing a disappointing ninth, the US squad finished on a high note. They defeated Spain in their final contest on August 11. Then for Ebner, it was time to get back home and get back to work. \u201cDo Your Job\u201d as it were.<\/p>\n

It went by quick,\u201d Ebner said. He was still wearing a USA hat turned backward and team USA shorts in the Patriots locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just put my head down to get the work done to be part of that team and then go on tour around the world for a little bit and then the Olympics comes around and you make the squad and you go — and I\u2019m here. It goes by quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ebner-2\"<\/p>\n

So quick that once the schedule was done, he skipped the \u201cOlympic experience\u201d and got back to Foxboro to get his football career back on track. He was dressed for the joint practices with the Bears just five days after playing rugby in the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Ebner was asked about taking in the Olympics and watching other sports and spending time with other athletes. \u201cI got to see a lot of the Olympic village,\u201d he said laughing. \u201cWe just came to do a job<\/strong>. We trained most of the time. I trained every day, multiple times a day, then the games and more practice. We were located away from the main area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentioned that some of the other athletes have been sending him messages about their experiences in Rio, which he missed out on since there were other obstacles to tackle back in Foxboro. He did mention that he got to watch the US basketball team practice and got his picture taken with Kevin Durant. But as far as sightseeing, that was it. Bill Belichick, somewhere else in the facility had to have been smiling.<\/p>\n

Asked about any changes he had to go thru transitioning from football to rugby, did he have to lose weight, or change his body type, he said no. He mentioned the amount of running needed but said although he may have lost a few pounds due to the cardio involved, he feels basically the same.<\/p>\n

Despite the tough job of trying out and making the national team, Ebner said he was deeply touched by the support of his coaches, teammates and the rest of the Patriots organization. And is profoundly grateful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know anything like that was going to happen,\u201d Ebner said. Just from the amount of support that my teammates showed me texting me, calling me, and seeing how things are going,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches, the support they showed me through the whole thing, not just the Olympics, asking me how my journey was going. I can\u2019t say enough about these guys here. It meant the world to me to have that support, especially in a very difficult training environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe support I was shown through the whole experience was amazing,\u201d Ebner said. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ebner said it was difficult to compare his\u00a0experience\u00a0at the Olympics to his previous experience playing for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. He said you can\u2019t really compare the two, being the sports are totally different.<\/p>\n

After getting back to the states so quickly, he was in uniform for the Bears game although he didn\u2019t play, but sounds like he\u2019s itching to get back on the field.<\/p>\n

“Right now, I’m focused on today,” he said, “and then I’ll focus on tomorrow, taking it one day at a time to get myself back going. We’ll just see what happens. I don’t really have a set plan.”<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the Patriot Way, just \u201cDo Your Job\u201d.<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patriots safety and special teams\u2019 standout Nate Ebner spoke to the media for the first time Sunday since his return from the Olympics in 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