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Julian Edelman entered the NFL with lower expectations after being drafted in the seventh round by the New England Patriots in 2009. Yet, he quickly established himself as one of their most important players.
He was a team leader who was instrumental in multiple Super Bowl victories. However, like Rob Gronkowski, Edelman announced his retirement from football earlier than many expected, when he was only 35 years old.
Recently, Edelman revealed how playing for the Patriots is one of the reasons why he retired at a young age. Here's what he said on the New Heights podcast:
“I swear if I didn't play New England I'd still be playing because we practice so goddamn hard. That's honestly why I retired I couldn't practice. I was getting three reps of practice and then I go get in the pool because my knee you know like I was fu**ed up."
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He added:
"You build your confidence through practice… the more you do it in practice and that's crazy awesome to hear that you love to practice because it's becoming a Dying Breed and that's why football is getting sloppy.”
It's undeniable that the New England Patriots have a strict culture, which has contributed significantly to their success over the last two decades. Injuries didn't help Edelman, but he'll have no regrets because he had so much success with the Patriots and Bill Belichick.
Julian Edelman had a great career
Julian Edelman, along with Rob Gronkowski, was the Patriots' most dependable option for Tom Brady over the last decade. He had a fantastic career and will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future.
As per StatMuse, in 11 NFL seasons, he had 620 catches for 6,822 yards, scored 41 touchdowns, and had 177 punt returns for 1,986 yards. Edelman was a three-time Super Bowl winner and also won the Super Bowl MVP once in his career.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit New Heights podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.
