Sound FX captures Pats' comeback: 'A hell of a story'

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelmanplayed the starring role in NFL Network's excellent Super Bowl LI edition of Sound FX.

Although the recap of New England's epic comeback started slowly, along with the offenses of the Patriots and Falcons, the mic'd up color began to heat up after Atlanta took a 14-0 lead.

Shortly thereafter, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu turned to Julio Jones and predicted, "We about to get a pick, though. We about to get a pick, though."

Falcons cornerback Robert Alford proceeded to intercept Brady and return the pass for an 82-yard touchdown.

"Didn't I tell you we was about to get one," Sanu asked Jones.

Feeling his oats, Sanu turned to Taylor Gabriel and crowed, "They ain't never met nothing like this."

Gabriel's response, up 21-0 in the second quarter?

"It's Tom Brady, though."

The second half of the Sound FX production is masterpiece theater, chronicling the most exciting 34 minutes in Super Bowl history.

Let's examine the anatomy of an epic comeback:

1. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, addressing his running backs in the face of a 21-3 deficit to start the third quarter: "Do you believe we're going to win? I do, too. Let's just play our best half. I don't want anybody to do anything that you can't do. Don't try to make it up in one play. Each play by itself, OK?"

2. Simultaneously, Edelman turned to Tom Brady on the bench and said simply, "It's going to be a hell of a story."

3. NFL Films' cameras captured Brady's spirited response after Tevin Coleman's 6-yard touchdown reception put the Patriots in a forbidding 28-3 hole in the middle of the third quarter: "Hey! Let's go now. Let's start showing some fight! Come on now. Let's go!"

Seconds later, Brady paced up and down past the starting offense, exhorting, "Gotta player harder, gotta player tougher. Harder, tougher everything. Everything we got!"

4. Just before the Patriots' drive, Edelman added, "Hey! Let's go, boys. It's going to be a hell of a story."

5. As Bill Belichick eschewed a punt and opted for a fourth-and-3 pass, Matt Ryan understood it was a crucial call despite the discrepancy on the scoreboard: "Come on, D. This is huge right here, man."

When Danny Amendola converted the fourth down, LeGarrette Blount offered, "That was huge."

6. Brady ended the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to James White, leading to a failed onsides kick recovered by Atlanta. When the Falcons went three-and-out, Brady turned to his offense again.

"Let's make 'em pay, fellas. Let's go make 'em pay."

7. Brady marched down the field only to be sacked by Grady Jarrett inside the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Falcons coach Dan Quinn dialed up the same play for Jarrett: "Let's call it again, guys. Call it again."

Jarrett proceeded to drop Brady for the second time in three plays, forcing the Patriots to settle for a field goal.

8. Nursing a 28-12 lead, the Falcons opted for a pass play on third-and-1 from their own 36-yard line.

"Need a turnover," Edelman beseeched. "Need a turnover, D."

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower came off the edge, slid past Devonta Freeman's half-hearted block, hit Ryan's arm, jarred the ball loose and fell on it for the game-changing turnover that Edelman requested.

9. Brady quickly converted, finding Amendola again, this time for a 6-yard touchdown that cut Atlanta's lead to one score.

"What I told you," Hightower said. "The last five minutes of the game is where the Super Bowl is made."

10. The Falcons quickly answered with a 39-yard pass to Freeman and a spectacular acrobatic Julio Jones catch, knocking on New England's door at the 22-yard line. Sanu bounded toward Jones, shouting, "Hey! You a baaaad man!"

Standing next to Super Bowl hero James White, Blount had a different reaction: "That's an amazing catch. Every Super Bowl we play in ... it's always that one catch. You know what I'm saying?"

11. After Freeman lost a yard on his next run, disaster struck for Atlanta. Ryan was sacked, Jake Matthews committed a holding penalty and the Falcons were forced to punt the ball back to the Patriots. Although play-caller Kyle Shanahan came under heavy fire for that sequence, he wasn't alone in his aggressive approach to the possession. Just before Ryan took the field, Quinn implored, "Let's go attack, Matt. Do what we do."

12. An Edelman fair catch at the 9-yard line meant the Patriots would have to cover 91 yards and nail the two-point conversion to tie the game with 3:30 remaining.

"Gotta lock in now," Brady pleaded with his teammates. "Laser focus."

"Gotta believe," Edelman added. "Gotta believe now. Gotta believe, boys."

Out of the picture, an unknown Patriots player declared, "We got Tom Brady. He the best ever. Hands down, bro."

13. The key play of the drive was Edelman's answer to David Tyree's helmet catch, snaring a tipped pass and capturing possession against Alford's ankle, an inch off the ground.

As he was pulling the ball away, Edelman screamed with glee, "I caught! I caught it."

Seconds later, the cameras captured Edelman and cornerback Brian Poole staring at opposite scoreboard screens.

"I caught it. Crazy!" Edelman told Poole. "I swear to god. Watch!"

Poole's response? "No way."

14. The Patriots went on to tie the game, forcing overtime. After they won the coin toss and opted to take the opening possession, Edelman turned to Brady and offered a poignant moment:

"Let's go score and win this, baby. For your mom. For your mom, bro."

15. White capped off the winning drive with a two-yard touchdown, leading to pandemonium on the field. A jubilant Brady hugged Edelman, shouting, "Are you kidding me?"

"What'd I say at halftime?" Edelman exclaimed. "It's going to be a hell of a story. I love you, bro. Five. You did five, bro."

16. Belichick found Edelman and offered his own thoughts: "They counted us out 20 times. Love it."

17. Caught up in the moment, Hall of Famer Jackie Slater -- the father of Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater -- offered a passionate testimonial for Brady: "They got best quarterback in the history of the National Football League, bar none! I don't disrespect anybody, but Tom Brady's the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

18. Blount caught up to Belichick and Brady, pointing and shouting first at the coach, "You're the greatest of all time! You're the greatest."

Blount then turned to Brady, poked the greatest of all time in the chest, and said, "And you're the (expletive) greatest!"

Don't miss: Super Bowl LI edition of Sound FX* on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. ET on NFL Network.*