Bill Belichick may not have been everyone's favorite person during his 24-year tenure in New England, but wide receiver Julian Edelman credits the coach's tough love approach for his NFL career.
"I was a guy that flourished off tough love. I needed that," Edelman said on the Let's Go! podcast with former teammate Tom Brady (22 minute mark). "So, it was the perfect place for me. Yeah, he was tough. Yeah, you hated him. Yes, he was a fuckin asshole. But he made you better. He coached everyone a little differently because he felt certain people needed certain things to make them better. I was in that category, where you didn't get that love.
"It was like the better you did, the more shade he would give you just to show the other 53 guys. You know, the 43rd, the 53rd guy on the team, that everyone is up on the table if you aren't doing your job."
The Patriots and Belichick parted ways earlier this month after a 4-13 season, the coach's worst of his tenure. New England missed the playoffs in three of Belichick's four seasons and did not win a postseason game since Brady's 2020 departure.
While worded in a way to properly recognize Belichick's legacy, the decision to move on was ultimately made by owner Robert Kraft. Belichick remains motivated to continue coaching and already interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons' vacancy. He's also been mentioned as a potential replacement for Mike McCarthy if the Dallas Cowboys move on from their embattled coach.
Edelman played under Belichick for his entire 12-year NFL career, winning three Super Bowls and the Super Bowl LIII MVP. A college quarterback, Edelman was a seventh-round pick in 2009 and Belichick played an instrumental role in eventually turning him into Brady's favorite target. Edelman finished his NFL career with 620 receptions, the fifth-most for a seventh-round pick in league history.
