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Tom Brady Shares Why Julian Edelman Was Better Than Calvin Johnson

Tom Brady discussed the gritty nature of one of his favorite targets.
John Maakaron|
Calvin Johnson waves to Detroit Lions fans as ownership looks on and celebrates his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction
Calvin Johnson waves to Detroit Lions fans as ownership looks on and celebrates his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady certainly understands the work ethic needed to succeed at the highest level of professional sports.

Not armed with the most talent, Brady used his grittiness, competitiveness and work ethic to win multiple Super Bowls and to cement himself as one of the best to ever play the quarterback position.

Appearing on a recent episode of the "Impaulsive" podcast, the former Michigan Wolverines quarterback shared with Logan Paul why some football players end up being champions who are not the most naturally talented or physically gifted.

Brady made the comparison between Julian Edelman, a scrappy player, and former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson, who is among the most physically gifted athletes in the history of the league.

"Greatness comes from different things. It's not just physical. There's a mental and emotional aspect as well to being great. You can't be a peak performer if you're not competitive every day," said Brady. "There were some of the best physical athletes I ever had that were not competitive every day. There were some of the lesser physical athletes that were competitive every day.

"Those lesser physical athletes who were competitive every day were champions," Brady commented further. "They won multiple Super Bowls. You know who is a great example of that? Julian Edelman. Wasn't the biggest. Wasn't the fastest. Tough, competitive, grimy, three Super Bowls. So, he was a champion, but people would say, 'Well, Calvin Johnson was more physically gifted.' There's a lot of them out there. But, Julian's a champion. I don't know. Everyone gets to define it how they want to."

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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