New England Patriots: Julian Edelman Calls Tom Brady the GOAT

Many people believe that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the greatest of all-time. You can add Julian Edelman to that list.

The New England Patriots are preparing for the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. This will be the seventh time Tom Brady plays in the Super Bowl, and he will be chasing his fifth title.

With plenty of historic milestones in reach for Brady in Super Bowl 51, his teammate, Julian Edelman, praised him as the best quarterback of all-time.

“In my mind, he’s the greatest quarterback ever,” Edelman said to Nick O’Malley of MassLive. “I grew up a Niners fan, big Joe Montana fan. I love him to death. Joe’s still Joe Cool, is still way up there. I’ve watched Dan Marino, I’ve watched all the guys. I personally think he’s the best. I’ve gotten to see it inside and out, how he prepares, how he plays the game, how he takes care of his body. He plays football 12 months of the year. It’s remarkable to see and that’s my opinion.”

With Edelman growing up a San Francisco 49ers fan, this is certainly high praise. The main opponent in a conversation about Brady being the GOAT is usually Joe Montana from the 49ers. Edelman points out that he doesn’t think that it is Brady’s physical gifts that make him so great, but rather his work ethic.

“When you play at this level, just from my time here, every quarterback can make every throw, everyone’s got the arm. I think what separates him is obviously the way he prepares, and there’s other quarterbacks that have prepared very hard and very well. But I think the one single thing is this one little gene. It’s that ‘gut gene,’ that ‘clutch gene.’ No moment’s too big for him.”

In addition to the accolades Brady has been able to accumulate over the years, Edelman doesn’t think that there is a quarterback more calm under pressure than Brady.

“He treats everything as if it’s almost like a drill,” Edelman said to O’Malley. “But when we’re doing the drills, he’s treating it as if it’s the game. Just his ability to consistently go out and practice the way he does, prepare the way he does, takes care of his body. His whole regiment is football and family. It’s impressive and I think — he’s just got that win factor.”

If Brady wins his fifth Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons, it will be hard to argue that he is the GOAT. His regular season and postseason success over the course of his career is truly remarkable.