Tag: Julian Edelman

Former Patriots WR calls out Steelers defense: ‘They still do what they did’

Julian Edelman dropped the hammer on Mike Tomlin and the Steelers defense on his podcast.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Pittsburgh Steelers and particularly head coach Mike Tomlin is their unwillingness to change and adapt in an ever-changing NFL. Tomlin half-heartedly defends his philosophy in press conferences after this team, especially his very expensive defense gets shown up by offenses smart enough to understand nothing will change in Pittsburgh.

As if we needed another example of this, we present former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman talked about Tomlin and his defense on his podcast noting that what the Steelers are doing today on defense is the same things they were doing when Edelman played against them as a member of the Patriots.

“You knew exactly what they were doing,” Edelman said. “And they still do what they did. They still do the same goddamn shit as when I was playing Tomlin’s defense. I’m like, ‘We still have linebackers covering the three slot? Every time we play Steelers, I have at least nine catches. You would think that they would change it. But no, they do what they do.”

To offer some perspective on just how worrisome this is, Edelman retired in 2020. He last faced off against the Steelers in 2019.

 

Cameron Jordan calls Saints-Falcons rivalry ‘the only one that matters’

The Saints have had tense games with the Buccaneers and Panthers, but Cameron Jordan says the Falcons rivalry is ‘the only one that matters’

Rivalries often form in the divisions purely off playing each other frequently, especially when both teams are good. Not all rivalries are created equal, however. For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried, and still try, to force a rivalry with the New Orleans Saints when Tom Brady came to town.

Admittedly, Brady versus Drew Brees and Marshon Lattimore versus Mike Evans felt like chapters for an exciting rivalry. However, there never felt like enough true animosity between the fanbases to call it a true rivalry.

Everyone knows the Atlanta Falcons are the Saints’ true rival. As Cameron Jordan told Julian Edelman, “It’s the only one that matters.” There were some fun moments over the years with Tampa Bay, but Evans is the only one of the quartet still standing. No matter how many pieces come and go between New Orleans and Atlanta, the level of vitriol doesn’t fade.

“The only one that matters” is a great description of the Saints’ relationship with other teams around the division. The Saints have had a tense stretch of games with the Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. They’ve faced both of those rivals in the playoffs. If either the Saints or those other teams weren’t good, though, the game didn’t matter as much.

Just look at their records against each other. The Saints are 56-55 against the Falcons, 31-29 against the Panthers, and 40-26 against the Buccaneers.

There’s only one pair of teams where records don’t matter, where hate week is mandatory, where animosity is eternal. That’s the Saints and Falcons. In Jordan’s words, “the only one that matters.”

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Julian Edelman had most relatable reaction to Patriots’ win over Bills

Julian Edelman was confused by the Patriots’ win over the Bills

Like most fans, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was not pleased with the team defeating the Buffalo Bills and losing the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft.

The Patriots upset the Bills by a 23-16 margin with Joe Milton playing at quarterback for most of the game. It was the Patriots’ fourth win of the season, and they ended a six-game losing streak.

However, they did more harm than good in terms of draft positioning. With the victory, they have fallen from the No. 1 pick to the No. 4 pick in the draft.

Many Patriots fans and commentators thought that the best course of action would be for the Patriots to lose in the season finale. Get the No. 1 pick and use it to either select a top player or trade it for more assets.

Count Edelman among those who were hoping for the top selection in 2025.

The Patriots can still come away with a game-changing playmaker with the No. 4 pick. If anything, there’s just a slimmer margin for error for the team’s second draft in the post-Bill Belichick era.

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Two of Bill Belichick’s former players say he’ll thrive as UNC’s football coach

Tom Brady isn’t the only former New England Patriots star excited for Bill Belichick’s UNC football coaching gig.

In 24 seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick ran the NFL and became the envy of many in the football world.

Belichick won six Super Bowl Titles in New England, several more AFC East Championships and coached Tom Brady, the greatest football player of all time.

Now, in December 2024, Belichick is trying to build the UNC football program into a dynasty.

Brady previously gave Belichick a vote of confidence as the Tar Heels’ new head coach. Two more of Belichick’s former Patriots – star tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman – joined Brady in saying Belichick will thrive at North Carolina.

Gronkowski, more widely-known as Gronk, is a 5-time Pro Bowler who won four Super Bowls with Belichick. Gronk also led the NFL in touchdown receptions during the 2011 season.

“Coach Belichick, he’s going to do an awesome job coaching those young bucks at UNC,” Gronk said during Wednesday’s Art of Sport LA Bowl. “I love the guy, I’m wishing him nothing but the best. He’s going to make college football that much more suspenseful, that much more fun and that much more interesting. And I can’t wait. The guy’s a winner. He’s going to eventually be winning games at the University of North Carolina. I’ll be tuning in, just like everybody else. Coach Belichick, hey all you players go out there. Coach, you can sign me a little dough as well then. Let’s go, I’m working for you right now. I’m a recruiter.”

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Edelman, a 3-time Super Bowl Champion (and Super Bowl LII MVP) known as one of the postseason’s most clutch performers, spoke highly of Belichick during NFL on Fox.

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“The more I think about it, the more it makes sense,” Edelman said of UNC hiring Belichick.”He knows how to project players. Bill’s dad coached at North Carolina. He loves anything his dad was a part of. The hoodie in a Jordan Tar Heel Powder Blue? When the capsule comes out, when the Air Belichicks come out, when you get the sneaker and you get the cutoff hoodie, I’ll be the first in line. Let’s go!”

It’s safe to say Belichick’s former players are excited about his new opportunity. UNC players are share that same sentiment – and transfers are committing because of the Belichick Effect.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Tom Brady’s epic impersonation of Bill Belichick coaching in college

How accurate would this be?

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took the latest Bill Belichick news as an opportunity to impersonate his former coach.

Belichick is in talks to become the next head coach at the University of North Carolina. However, nothing has been finalized as of this typing.

Brady appeared alongside former Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman on FOX NFL Sunday for a reunion segment for the former Patriots trio.

He was asked if he could imagine Belichick coaching at the collegiate level. This gave the former quarterback the opportunity to break out his hilarious impersonation.

‘”Listen, do you really want to come here? We don’t really want you anyway. I mean, I guess you could come. We’ll figure out if you play,'” Brady said while impersonating Belichick.

It would be awesome to be a fly on the wall at a hypothetical recruiting visit hosted by Belichick.

Regardless, given his incredible resume, he probably wouldn’t have to do much convincing for players to commit. It would certainly be surreal to see him standing on the sidelines on Saturdays instead of Sundays.

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Julian Edelman explains importance of players buying in for Patriots

Julian Edelman sees players buying in after the first win. Will the Patriots get another on Sunday?

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman had high praise for the organization following their upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.

The team making the running game the focal point impressed Edelman the most.

They totaled 170 yards on the ground and had no turnovers for the entire game. It was a solid performance for a team looking to lay the groundwork for the future.

Edelman appeared on “The Herd” earlier in the week and praised the Patriots for sticking to what was working. He noted that sticking to the plan is how you get players to buy in.

“That’s how you get guys to buy in,” said Edelman, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Tim Crowley. “That’s how you get your confidence to grow bigger. That’s how you get guys to come in a little earlier because everything that they work hard on, they got some production out of it. They got a little taste of what it tastes like to win and be 1-0.”

The Patriots will be tested once again in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. We’ll see if they can employ a similar with the same effectiveness as they did in the season opener.

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Julian Edelman: Giants the place Bill Belichick would want to go

If the New York Giants’ head coaching job becomes available, Julian Edelman believes Bill Belichick will have his sights set on taking it.

Bill Belichick failed to land a head coaching job this offseason and although he’s picked up a multitude of media roles, including one with The ManningCast, he still desires a return to the sideline.

Beginning in January of 2025, Belichick will once again seek out a role to put a cap on his legendary Hall of Fame career. And one of his former players, wide receiver Julian Edelman, believes the New York Giants are where he’d prefer to end up.

“The real enticing one, to me, is if the New York Giants open up,” Edelman said during an appearance on The Herd. “And I am not calling for anyone’s job. I love (Brian) Daboll. Daboll is my favorite. But the fate of what they’ve put on the field… You’re going to go down with that ship.”

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have firmly committed to quarterback Daniel Jones, as multiple regimes have in the past. It has not paid dividends to this point and after just one week, the 2024 season already feels lost.

Should an East Rutherford collapse continue, it would not be unheard of for co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch to once again blow things up and start anew. Again.

Many NFL experts and insiders already see that reset coming and Belichick’s name has come up more than a time or two.

“If that opens up,” Edelman continued, “I remember vividly any time we played in New York or we played the Giants, you could just see a little jingle in Belichick’s spirit because he loved talking about those old Giants teams. And he loved talking about that organization. You could tell that he loved the New York Football Giants.

“He just loves the Giants. So, I think, that would probably be the place he would want to go to.”

The one potential hang-up, Edelman says, is the dire state the Giants are in. As much as Belichick loves the Giants, he may not want to take on the task of rebuilding an entire organization from top to bottom.

None of it matters at this point because, for now, the Giants are riding it out with Schoen and Daboll. But if the losing ways persist and their respective seats begin to warm, the Belichick chatter will almost certainly intensify.

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Travis Kelce took this retirement lesson from Julian Edelman

Travis Kelce recalled a retirement conversation with Julian Edelman

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shared the important retirement lesson he took from former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman in a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

Kelce is one of the best tight ends in NFL history. He is coming off his third Super Bowl victory with a Chiefs team in a strong position to repeat this year. His current career stats sit at 11,328 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns in 11 years.

At 34 years old, one would think Kelce would be considering retirement. However, he is not ready to hang up the cleats just yet.

“I had my guy Julian Edelman jump on New Heights with me and my brother last year, and he was mentioning how he had to hang it up when he couldn’t go out there and practice,” said Kelce. “When he couldn’t get out there and work on his craft to feel like he’s accountable for the guys next to him. That’s when he started questioning it.

“I’m just having so much fun. Just so appreciative and so fortunate that I’ve been able to come into Year 12 and still have this energy and this love and this ability to go out there and get to work.”

Kelce’s playing style as a receiving tight end could allow him to experience more longevity in the game.

One has to wonder when he will retire, as it looks as though he is not slowing down anytime soon. Nevertheless, Edelman’s comments are a painful reminder that an end is inevitable.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson responds to Julian Edelman, other critics

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson responded to Julian Edelman and his other critics

The Baltimore Ravens’ 2023 season came to a disappointing close with their AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The result fed into the negative narrative surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson and the postseason, which hasn’t been his strong suit over the course of his career.

Jackson went on Mad Dog Radio with Adam Schein and was asked about the criticism he receives, particularly from Julian Edelman recently. The quarterback responded that people can believe what they want, but the team knows what they want, and others, such as Edelman, have had their time.

The two-time MVP has been the subject of plenty of criticism throughout his football career. However, he made it clear that everyone can have their opinions, but his team only worries about themselves, not the outside noise.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson catches stray in Julian Edelman critique

Julian Edelman shared a candid critique of Lamar Jackson

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was open and honest when discussing his opinion of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Edelman indicated that Jackson was one of the quarterbacks that needed to elevate his game this upcoming season to compete with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

To be fair, Jackson did have an incredible 2023 season statistically for the Ravens. He won his second NFL MVP award after throwing for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions during the regular season.

However, he struggled in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs. He went 20-of-37 in the matchup throwing for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception. That performance further added to the notion that he struggles in big moments.

“It’s up to everyone else. We need to see a Joe Burrow come out and stay healthy, start fast,” said Edelman. “We need to see Lamar Jackson, who has been on a milk carton in the playoffs. He’s missing.”

Jackson will have a lot to prove this season after struggling in the playoffs once again. The Ravens haven’t made it to the Super Bowl in 12 years.

They’re hoping that changes at some point with Jackson under center.

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