Untold Julian Edelman stories before Patriots Hall of Fame induction

Earlier than he grew to become a Patriots Corridor of Famer, Julian Edelman was a soccer footnote.

A seventh-round choose and school quarterback attempting out a brand new place within the execs.

However over 12 years in New England, Edelman modified.

And so did the Patriots.

As Edelman developed into among the best huge receivers in franchise historical past, he helped energy three Tremendous Bowl titles. He secured an all-time catch throughout Tremendous Bowl LI and earned MVP of Tremendous Bowl LIII. He grew to become an area legend, a family identify.

Amid all of the accolades, teammates got here to study the actual Edelman.

A ballbuster. An obsessive employee. A dwelling, respiratory customary for the right way to combat teammates in apply and compete in video games.

So, overlook the participant you may need often known as “the Squirrel.”

Within the phrases of his ex-teammates, this was “Jules.”

Balls off the wall

All these years later, David Andrews can nonetheless hear the rubber echo.

As teammates from 2015-20, Andrews usually walked into the Patriots’ facility round 6 a.m., to the sound of Edelman working via considered one of his favourite drills inside earshot of the locker room.

Throughout the drill, Edelman stood dealing with a wall along with his knees bent and arms outstretched at both facet, whereas an tools supervisor, standing behind him, lobbed tennis balls one after the other over his shoulder and on the wall. Edelman tried to catch the balls — unseen till they hit the wall — earlier than they hit the bottom.

“I feel (Edelman) needed to pay for like 9 Tommy John surgical procedures for all of the tools managers’ elbows he (damage) making them throw to him,” Andrews cracked.

The balls ricocheted in any respect angles, testing Edelman’s hand-eye coordination and response time. He caught hundreds upon hundreds. Andrews got here to hate the drill.

“To the day I die, the sound of tennis balls hitting cinder-block partitions might be ingrained in my head each morning,” he mentioned. “I didn’t even want espresso the primary couple years of my profession, as a result of I simply received my head beat in listening to these tennis balls.”

Edelman’s drill work ultimately paid off on the sport’s biggest stage.

Andrews didn’t make the connection instantly when Edelman saved a deflected go with a finger-tip seize in visitors in the course of the fourth quarter of Tremendous Bowl LI in opposition to the Falcons AKA essentially the most well-known catch of his profession. However in time and reflection, Andrews positive did.

“If (Edelman) didn’t make that play, the sport was over,” he mentioned. “Thank God listening to all these tennis balls was price it.”

Working in walkthroughs

Early in his profession, Edelman took a brand new angle to the Patriots’ walkthrough practices.

They have been, let’s say, not for him.

Half-speed was the slowest Edelman would prepare, in accordance with a number of teammates who watched him buzz via the practices that Invoice Belichick in any other case led at a glacial tempo to make sure each participant knew the place to be and what to do on each play. Walkthroughs are widespread to each group throughout the NFL, notably the day earlier than video games.

Much less widespread is the receiver who gained’t comply along with his coach.

“It’d all the time be humorous to see new individuals who would come to the group or the primary walkthrough of the yr, and would see this dude working, actually reducing at 5 yards on his routes, doing all these things,” mentioned James White. “They’d ask, ‘Why is he doing that?’ However that was his routine, and he all the time caught with it.”

Pats security Kyle Dugger remembers his first walkthrough with Edelman, a apply in coaching camp of his rookie season in 2020. Dugger’s job on a number of performs was to tackle a block thrown by a large receiver. In a number of circumstances, that was Edelman, which meant they needed to flippantly seize one another’s chest plate to simulate their assignments.

Besides each time they received shut, Edelman had different concepts.

“He wouldn’t let me put my fingers on him,” Dugger mentioned. “So every time I put my fingers out, he would seize my hand or maintain his as much as get in the way in which. And he had like a smirk strolling again to the huddle, type of ready to see my response. And I by no means actually understood why he did that. I feel he was simply testing me as a result of I used to be a rookie. However I believed that was humorous.”

A caring name

On the morning of March 13, information broke that the Patriots had determined to launch Andrews, considered one of their longest-tenured and most revered gamers.

Minutes later, Andrews’ telephone rang. It was Edelman.

The 2 had remained mates since Edelman’s retirement in 2021, however weren’t terribly shut. Andrews remembered his telephone in shock and taking the decision, which lasted about half-hour. Textual content messages streamed into his telephone amid different notifications.

Andrews didn’t cease to reply a single one, not till he was performed listening to from an previous pal about life, soccer and what comes subsequent.

“I feel him calling me exhibits what sort of teammate and particular person he’s. He cares about folks,” Andrews mentioned. “Like I mentioned, it’s not like me and Julian have been finest mates. That wasn’t a name I used to be anticipating.”

He continued: “It was largely him giving me recommendation (about) various things. Once more, at type of a bizarre time for somebody like that to succeed in out to you. But it surely meant a lot. And granted, a few of that recommendation was solely recommendation Julian might ship in sure methods…”

How so?

Drunk uncle

Effectively, in accordance with Andrews, that is how.

“Julian provides recommendation to you want your loopy, drunk uncle on the social gathering. The place you’re like, ‘Yeah, I imply, that’s type of good recommendation, however I simply don’t know if that’s the way in which I’m going to go about it,’” he mentioned. “Otherwise you’ve gotta see via the weeds of his recommendation typically. Like, your loopy uncle tells you to do one thing, and also you’re type of like, I most likely ought to do it, however I don’t know if I ought to do it that approach.”

“Like, let me civilize this slightly.”

Observe punches

In 2017, the Patriots signed ex-Payments cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a five-year, $65 million deal in free company with $40 million assured.

The deal despatched shockwaves via the league and inside their constructing. Within the first apply Gilmore participated as a Patriot — one more walkthrough — he lined up throughout from Edelman who had a couple of alternative phrases about his $40 million assured.

You could possibly nearly hear Devin McCourty roll his eyes as he re-told the story.

“All people was like, ‘Okay, right here we go. Jules is actually gonna throw out the man’s contract the primary day we get out right here?’ After which, positive sufficient, both the second or third day at coaching camp, they each get kicked out from preventing behind the tip zone in a crimson zone interval, as a result of (Gilmore) was like a quiet model of Jules,” McCourty mentioned.

“As soon as he received on the sector, (Gilmore) wouldn’t quit any catches in walkthrough, which Tom (Brady) and Jules hated as a result of he’s breaking apart their passes. And in order that was Jules. It was confrontation. It was being an ass—. However like I all the time inform folks, he was that man, however he was your ass—. Taking part in in opposition to him in apply, you knew he’s gonna do difficult little issues, however you additionally knew that that may be a distinction in video games, and that you just have been completely satisfied he was in your facet.”

Andrews agreed.

“Each single day, it was on. And for those who weren’t on, he was most likely going to let about it,” Andrews mentioned. “And now, typically I feel that went slightly too far.”

Gilmore, it must be famous, was hardly Edelman’s solely sparring accomplice in these days.

“After we would simply be on the market attempting to really feel good in Friday walkthroughs, we’d get a five-minute break whereas we’re attempting to be within the cleanest rhythm of apply as a result of Julian was preventing anyone. A practice-squad man or anyone. However that’s simply who he was. And he was all the time on. He was all the time able to go.”

Again to QB

In Sept. 2016, as Brady served a suspension for his alleged involvement in Deflategate, the Patriots have been all the way down to only one quarterback heading right into a Week 3 showdown with the Texans on Thursday Evening Soccer.

Brady’s backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, had been injured the Sunday earlier than, leaving solely rookie Jacoby Brissett to throw passes in apply and doubtlessly in opposition to Houston.

In keeping with Andrews, the Patriots have been in “scramble mode” determining the right way to run offense via Brissett and, if he received injured within the recreation, a brand new backup. That backup was Edelman, who wanted only one rep in apply earlier than he began chastising Andrews like he was a 10-year veteran quarterback below middle.

“We had a catch-all plan with Jules in case one thing occurred with him working some performs. I’ll always remember it,” Andrews mentioned. “This dude comes into the huddle, calls the play, will get to the road and (makes) the worst snap depend I’ve ever heard.”

“(He had) the worst hand placement for our under-center snap I’ve ever felt. My third-grade instructor — ah, I can’t say that. However whoever you need to say would’ve had higher placement, that’s proper. However he blamed me that my snaps have been dangerous. And that was Julian 101. As a result of it was so humorous.”

“You could possibly simply see him desirous to be accountable for the offense, and simply none of us might take him severely. He’s attempting to show me the right way to snap the soccer. And I’m like, ‘Bud. I’ve been damaged in for a yr and a half now by Tom Brady. I do know what I’m doing.’”

Nobody spared

As a lot as Edelman seemed as much as Brady, as a fellow Bay Space native and lifelong soccer fan, he ultimately started to deal with the legendary quarterback like most different teammates.

“(Edelman) and Gronk are most likely the one two dudes that may get after Tom slightly bit, so far as jokes and every part,” White mentioned. “Or on recreation day, he’s most likely the one one that may say one thing to Tom, so far as attempting to get us going.”

Within the latter years of Brady’s tenure, Edelman would lower him down with cracks and jokes for all to listen to contained in the locker room. Even Brady’s new footwear, pairs of HOKA model sneakers, grew to become a goal.

“Tom was carrying these elevated sneakers, and I do know they’re in shops now, and all people wears them. However when Tom first got here in with them, Julies would go after him for carrying them with denims and all that. Like, I imply, simply kill him. Kill him,” McCourty mentioned. “And I all the time thought that was so distinctive as a result of coming in all people else was like, ‘That’s Brady. Oh wow.’

“And for Jules, I feel he began like that. And shortly realized that, all I could make enjoyable of him.”

Belichick wasn’t spared, both.

“Invoice got here into a gathering one time with both a divisional championship shirt or some shirt like that. And Jules raises his hand, type of smirking already. ‘And he goes, ‘I imply, Invoice, what the f— are we doing? Like, shouldn’t we take that s— off?’ And all people begins dying laughing.”

Although the jokes did go each methods, notably after Edelman established his “JE11” model, which clearly mimicked Brady’s.

“All people was like, ‘Dude. (Brady) has TB12. Like, you’re gonna simply straight go JE11?” McCourty remembered. “Come on.’”

All the time keen

Early of their careers, McCourty and Edelman have been particular groups neighbors.

Each began on the Patriots’ kickoff group, with McCourty taking the skin spot closest to the sideline and Edelman one inside him. Edelman’s job was to comprise any returner who would possibly break outdoors as an alternative of pursuing the kickoff as quick and recklessly as attainable downfield. However figuring out how hungry Edelman was to make the group and make an impression, McCourty lower a take care of him.