'The Train Keeps Moving': Julian Edelman Shares Thoughts on Tom Brady's Departure
When losing a player such as Tom Brady it can shake an organization. For decades he was the face of the New England Patriots. Now Brady is gone.
The Patriots still have a strong foundation. Having Bill Belichick captaining the ship makes things easier for the team as they enter these unchartered waters.
One player who could feel Brady's absence the most is wideout Julian Edelman. He was Brady's failsafe. Whenever Brady needed a catch, he knew he could find Edelman.
Edelman had his first media availability of the season on Monday and touched upon Brady leaving the organization.
“I mean, obviously, it was a little different scenario, but you got to move on," Edelman said. "You understand that this is a business. You wish him well. That’s when you instantly start thinking about what you have to do to prepare yourself to go out and contribute and help the team for the upcoming year. Obviously we played a lot of ball together. I love him to death. But the train keeps moving, as it will when I’m not playing here or something. It just always keeps going. We've got to worry about the people that we have here.”
New England has proven that they don't make exceptions for anyone. In the past fans have seen the team move on from players such as Lawyer Milloy and Asante Samuel. They aren't afraid to move on from influential players.
Brady is a different animal compared to these players. He was an integral part of the organization. So how will New England adjust?
Edelman could be in for a rather interesting year in 2020. With a new quarterback in either Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham, it's likely that Edelman sees a drop in targets. This is especially the case if Newton is the starter. Newton has a supreme arm and will be looking to throw the ball deep. It's likely that N'Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu would see more targets with Newton under center.
Both of New England's potential starting quarterbacks are open to new players, which was necessarily the case with Brady. Getting into Brady's circle of trust was rather difficult. It even took some time at the beginning of Edelman's career for him to earn Brady's trust. That won't be the case in 2020. The ball will be spread around whether it's to Harry, Sanu, or even guys such as Jakobi Meyers or Gunner Olszewski.
Still, this is an important season for Edelman. A lot of his critics credit his success to Brady. This will be his chance to prove that he is a great wide receiver, regardless of who his quarterback is.
So the Patriots and Edelman are ready to move on from Brady. It'll be interesting to see just how well New England does in their first season without the legendary quarterback.
