From being a non-receiver to becoming an NFL great receiver was not a piece of cake for the former Patriots’ player Julian Edelman. The path was rocky, yet the receiver managed to do it with the assistance of Tom Brady and cemented his place on the squad.
Brady and Edelman were one of the strongest quarterback-receiver duos in the NFL field. Nevertheless, the start was not as satisfactory when the California Cools’ harsh words made Julian cry before his successful stint.
Julian Edelman recalls Tom Brady’s fury: “Catch the f**king ball”
The former Patriots’ receiver was not a receiver when he started his NFL journey with New England. At the college level, he used to play as a quarterback. However, after the Patriots drafted him, he was thrown into a great challenge by his team.
He was a rather inexperienced player when they decided to give him the responsibilities of a receiver rather than a quarterback place. The receiver was really frustrated and downcast as a result, but Tom Terrific was audacious enough to pass a sly jab at him. In a recent episode of Edelman’s podcast “Games With Names,” he recalled how those days were like a nightmare for him.
“First pass ever from Tom, they put in a package with four receivers, a four-wide group,” said Edelman. “They gave me a play and I’d never played receiver, but they created a package for me and they’re like, ‘Alright, Edelman, get in.’ I run like a hook route and Tom darts it on me, and I tried to run before I had it ’cause I wanted to do something with it, dropped the ball. He [Brady] goes, ‘Catch the f**king ball, Julian.’”
Tom’s capitulation impacted the player who entered the NFL after the seven-time Super Bowl champion. He was so affected by the events that he sobbed after returning home.
“I went home and cried,” he added.“
Edelman shrugged off the incident to become 3-time NFL Champ
Following Tom’s heart-breaking behavior, Julian took aim to focus more on his play and won the heart of the former quarterback. With a lot of dedication and hard work, the player finally did it after three years with the team.
The athlete, with 12 years of experience in his bag, then demonstrated the team’s values through his tenacity and determination. He made a name for himself as a quarterback to receiver and possessed the honor of being ranked No. 2 all-time in receptions and receiving yards during postseason play.
“I felt pretty sh-tty for like four days. It took me so long to earn his trust after that f–king play, it took me like three years to earn his trust back,” he said.
Edelman won three Super Bowl rings and the Super Bowl LIII MVP award before leaving the football world, and he considered his accomplishments to be the result of TB12’s criticism. Additionally, he is 156th all-time in receiving yards and 75th all-time in receptions.
Not every player can take harsh words easily and work on it to prove his worth like Edelman though the former player also witnessed a serious emotional breakdown once. What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments section.
