"Oh cr*p. I may have went too far with this Belichick thing" - Julian Edelman reveals he still fears Patriots HC Bill Belichick
On Tom Brady's list of favorite teammates ever, Julian Edelman ranks among those at the very top. Edelman is a New England Patriots legend for his heroics in the playoffs. When the stakes mattered the most, Edelman was at his best. Bill Belichick loved coaching him and his ample supply of grit and toughness.
Julian Edelman retired at the end of the 2020 season. After retiring, he joined "Inside the NFL" as an analyst. But even as an analyst, the former Patriots slot specialist is scared of the "intimidation factor" Belichick possesses.
In this week's Manningcast, Julian Edelman was the Manning brothers' fourth-quarter guest. The three-time Super Bowl champion had a lot of insights into his former team, coach, and quarterback.
Edelman revealed Belichick gave him a vote of confidence to talk about the Patriots however he wanted in his new role as an analyst. Despite that, Edelman still got scared when Belichick called the day after he told his colleagues that on TV. Edelman said:
“Bill doesn’t call anyone for anything. I’m like, 'Oh cr*p. I may have went too far with this Belichick thing. He’s going to rip me one.’ You still get scared of this guy even though I’m not playing for him. He still has an intimidation factor. I still have nightmares about him.”
Belichick is an intimidating man, even if you've won three championships with him. That speaks to Belichick's intensity as a coach and competitor that nobody can rival. But that wasn't all Edelman had to say on the Manningcast.
In one of the more comedic moments of the night, Julian Edelman impersonated a conversation between Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski on the sidelines.
These @Edelman11 impersonations of @RobGronkowski and @TomBrady are gold 😂 https://t.co/rZ2eBpwu8Q
Edelman's impersonations garnered a lot of attention from fans, as he revealed that Brady's "a babe guy."
But Edelman wasn't done there. He also revealed that Brady recruited him to join the Buccaneers for the 2020 season. Brady was successful in bringing Gronkowski out of retirement, and he hoped Edelman would join them.
The Patriots legend said no and played his final season with Belichick in 2020 at age 34.
Julian Edelman told Peyton and Eli Manning last night that Tom Brady hit him up the day he signed with the #Bucs to see if Edelman would join him in Tampa Bay.
Edelman responded: “absolutely not.”
#Patriots | #ForeverNE https://t.co/UsXml0OHQ3
Edelman appears to have found a comfortable role for himself as an analyst. He was a natural on the Manningcast and offered great insight. In what was an uninspiring game, Edelman offered much-needed lighthearted airtime.