Julian Edelman stated the Patriots’ observe habits influenced his retirement choice

Patriots

“I swear if I didn’t play in New England I’d nonetheless be taking part in as a result of we practiced so goddamn onerous.”

Julian Edelman flirted with the thought of an NFL comeback final yr, however it by no means got here to fruition for the 37-year-old receiver.

Edelman retired in 2021. He was restricted to 6 video games throughout an injury-plagued 2020.

Nonetheless, he stays satisfied that he may have performed longer if he spent his profession with one other staff.

“I swear if I didn’t play in New England I’d nonetheless be taking part in as a result of we practiced so goddamn onerous. That’s truthfully why I retired,” Edelman stated throughout an look on Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast “New Heights.” “I couldn’t observe. I used to be getting three reps a observe, after which I used to be entering into the pool as a result of my knee, I used to be (expletive) up. And also you construct your confidence via observe. Apply repetition turns into recreation actuality.”

However, observe wasn’t all unhealthy for Edelman.

The Tremendous Bowl LII MVP defined that he moved to California early in his profession to coach with Tom Brady within the offseason, detailing the method of how they discovered one another’s tendencies by spending time collectively.

Travis Kelce, the eight-time Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight-end, spoke about how vital he finds observe to be after listening to Edelman’s story.

“You don’t get that with out reps,” Kelce stated. “All you younger guys on the market, I’m big on discovering a strategy to get out on the observe discipline irrespective of how my physique feels. I must really feel the protection. I must really feel the timing with the quarterbacks. It doesn’t matter if it’s a route that I’ve ran 1,000,000 instances, I do know it’s going to maintain me in sync with all of it and preserve constructing when it comes to the understanding and the belief and simply being comfy on the market.”

Edelman stated that gamers construct confidence via observe and that youthful gamers wanted to listen to Kelce’s message.

“That’s loopy superior to listen to that you just like to observe as a result of that’s changing into a dying breed. Soccer is getting sloppy. I don’t care what anybody says, soccer is getting sloppy proper now … each your groups have such massive head begins on groups as a result of they don’t observe and also you guys have nice management clearly the place guys need to (expletive) observe. And if you happen to’re working towards, and he’s working towards, nobody else cannot observe. That’s the way you get good.”