Julian Edelman

Dan Campbell needs to evolve and stop taking unnecessary risks like fake punts

I love Dan Campbell, but he needs to evolve his play color. His, his, his coaching style. He, he, he can't act like he's a the hunter anymore. He's being hunted. You know, you, you're the good team... We don't have to run a fake punt in the opening drive against the divisional rival... you don't need to steal a possession anymore. You have a great offense that we're gonna score you points. You go do that in the playoffs, you'll get eliminated.

Matthew Stafford is a first-ballot Hall of Famer

I think he's a first battle hall of famer, man. He's a stud... I feel like he's like a Aaron [Rodgers] and [Mahomes] hybrid where like he gets that pop that, that Aaron got. But he also has been changing arm angles and doing No looks back in Detroit 10, 15 years ago.

Bill Belichick will definitely return to coaching in the NFL

Hell yeah. [Is he going to coach again?] He's definitely gonna coach again... I do think he, he, he loves football and he wants to coach man. I think this could be all part of his, his master trick of trying to get back in and show that he's like young and cool... if I was a gambling man, I think he'd be a, he, he, he [will coach].

Brian Hoyer throws the most catchable ball of any quarterback I played with

You know who actually threw a real catchable ball? Brian Hoyer did... He had this little pat thing. He threw a real catchable ball. Mallet used to throw a real heavy, heavy like hard ball... but yeah, Hoyer threw a real catchable ball.

Gronk is actually a savant with numbers

I'm telling you right now. Gronk knows numbers, bro... whenever we used to talk contracts... I would always bust his balls like, yo, what's square root of this, Gronk? 144. He'd be like 12, dude! Like, he really knows numbers pretty well, dude. Not joking.

Ron Rivera will be fired by the Commanders

Do you think Ron Rivera will get fired? Yeah, I do.

Bill Belichick coaching for a team other than the Patriots is a looming reality

Could you see Bill Belichick coaching for any team, but the New England Patriots next year? I mean, I think it's a reality that's gonna, that's gonna come, you know, I won't believe it until it's done. But it it, when the media starts getting on this and starts talking about it where there's smoke, there's fire. And I just hope it's handled correctly.

Drops are contagious among wide receivers

Are drops contagious? They are. I, I, I, I honestly think it's not just one thing that you fix it, it, it comes down to, you know, guys working together to execute a play. ... It ultimately comes down to just practice and preparation.

The Ravens are the biggest threat to the 49ers in a Super Bowl matchup

Lamar Jackson is just a game plan killer. Right. You know, he can go take a game over, you know, and especially if he's, you know, Odell, when when the lights are bright, you know, odells gonna come out and he's gonna start bawling. ... I think they're a scary football team ... Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are 19 and 5 against the spread as an underdog.

Brock Purdy is the NFL MVP

How do we talk about Brock Purdy? Is he the MVP? I mean, right now he, he probably is. That's a, I mean that the MVP's always a quarterback, right. ... You have to give credit to what Brock Purdy's doing. You have to, you have to, you know, the, this whole game manager thing, people don't realize it's more like a game operator.

NFL teams cannot just 'flip the switch' in the playoffs

Guys are just gonna flip the switch and it never happens like that. You are what you are. And that's the honest truth with football... Belichick used to say it, 'You can't just take a fucking Gatorade before practice and turn it on.'... Teams cannot turn it on.

Bill O'Brien is a great hire for the Patriots because he understands the standard

I think it's a great move for the Patriots because [Bill O'Brien] understands the standard. He's been in the situation of being a coach in the organization... and he's also been a head coach... he single-handedly developed Deshaun Watson, made him a $250 million quarterback.

Patrick Mahomes will not be able to practice physically before the AFC Championship

I don't think he's gonna physically be able to practice. I mean, they're gonna try to get that swelling out the whole week... I sprained my ankle and it wasn't even a real bad high ankle and I was out for like four weeks.

The 49ers will beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship

I like the Niners against Philadelphia. Niners defense... the linebackers for the Niners are insane. It's gonna be a bloodbath... I'm taking the Niners. I'm taking Kyle Shanahan over Sirianni. That's why I'm taking the Niners.

The Bengals will beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship

I'm going with Bengals and it has to do with the ankle of Patrick Mahomes. I mean, that's gonna be a tough task... that Bengals team, they got a swagger, they got a confidence. They don't have excuses.

The Raiders will win the AFC West

Raiders are winning the AFC west. I'm a believer in the ecosystem that they have over there. I think Derek Carr is, I think he's a good football player... with McDaniels and you know, Davante Adams going over there... They got Waller. They got Hunter Renfrow. Who's a stud... their offense is really good.

The Vikings will win the NFC North

I like Minnesota winning the north. Kevin O'Connell... always a smart guy, always knew Xs and Os. I like, I like, I liked them. I think Jefferson is, is outrageous... I think there's a little trouble in, in Green Bay.

The Rams will struggle this year; the Super Bowl hangover is real

I think the Rams are gonna struggle. I think, I think the hangover's real. And something's up with Stafford's elbow. The elbow did not—that doesn't look good... he's got the sleeve on there... that's there for medical.

The Bills will win the Super Bowl over the Buccaneers

Bills versus the Bucks, but the Bills are gonna win. Bills are winning it... If they stay healthy, they're gonna be a problem.

The Chiefs' offense will be condensed and struggle more without Tyreek Hill

It's gonna be interesting to see them without Tyreek Hill... [Hill] opens up the field in so many different ways with that speed... When you lose that, it condenses the offense... I want to see if [Mahomes] got better at those things [throwing inside the pocket], because you're gonna have to do that. He's gonna have to have these long methodical drives.

The Bears should have hired an offensive coach to pair with Justin Fields instead of Matt Eberflus

I was looking at that and I was a little conflicted. You have a young quarterback and we've seen with all these other teams when they're surrounding these guys with those quarterback whispers, whatever you want to call it, these offensive minded coaches, we've seen a lot of success... I personally would have went to the opposite direction of [defensive minded].

Tom Brady has one more year of football left in him

I think he's got one more year. Cause it's like looking at the Bucs roster. It's family. Yeah. That's the family's tough. It's going to have to be really good for him... This is the most I've ever felt like he could probably hang them up, but you know what I mean? It wouldn't surprise me either way.

The 49ers will beat the Rams in the NFC Championship Game

I'm going Moneyline... San Francisco 49ers. They're going to win. Jimmy G is going to have a good game. I do. Kyle Shanahan is probably preaching to this guy... Hey Jimmy, just take care of the ball... I think he's going to have his best game this week. He's going to go out there. He's due for a good game.

The Bengals are a 'team of destiny' and will beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game

I'm going with the Bengals. Cause they're I think they're a team of destiny. Joe, Joe Burrow. This is the first number one pick to ever go to the AFC championship or a championship game into his third or second year.

Jalen Hurts is not a long-term solution at quarterback for the Eagles

[Jalen Hurts] is gonna make some really good plays with his legs... and he shows he's shown us that he does that consistently. But I mean, I just don't think that's like a long lasting plan.

The future of the Washington Football Team is on an upward trajectory under Ron Rivera

The future of the organization is looking at an upward trajectory for Washington. I believe in Ron Rivera. I mean, he did it, he had the Carolina Panthers, you know, a pretty good football team for a long time.

Wide receivers are transitioning from college to the NFL at a higher rate than ever before

I think that receivers are actually transitioning at a higher rate in these last five, six years than they have ever before... a lot of these guys, there's so much more information now for younger players on how to train, what kind of drills to train.

The Colts are a Super Bowl contender because of their opportunistic defense and special teams

I like Indianapolis. That defense is, they got 31 takeaways... They're just so opportunistic on defense. They can stop the run... They have a special teams. They're a tough football team.

I want to see Mac Jones face some adversity to see if he is truly the guy

I want to see him [Mac Jones] face some adversity, see how he does with that... I want to see something go wrong. And I want to see the man he is in an adverse situation. Like that's when you see your best leaders, that's when you know the Tom Bradys. Everything looks great right now. He's looking like a really good quarterback. He's taking in the offense. He plays on time.

A truly tough football team can run the ball, stop the run, and cover kicks

This is what defines a tough football team. A physically tough football team, from what I was taught from some guy named Bill [Belichick], a tough football team can run the ball, can stop the run and can cover kicks. What teams do that the best? Baltimore, Patriots, Tennessee.

I am riding with the Bills to beat the Packers in the Super Bowl

I'm going to ride with the bills. I mean, I got seen some things I got to start to see the offense needs to start getting it going... [Super Bowl prediction] I said, Bills and Green Bay.

I was rooting for the Patriots over Tom Brady and the Bucs

I was rooting for the Pats [over the Bucs]. I mean, my guy [Brady] gets all... He gets a little sensitive sometimes. He's my best friend, and... I don't think he probably would [say I'm his best friend], not anymore. Why would I ever root [against the Patriots]?

The 49ers are my second favorite team and I love Kyle Shanahan

I'm rooting for the Niners number two. Big Niners guy. I like the Niners. I like [Kyle] Shanahan. I think he's a good coach. I like the defense. I like [George] Kittle, even though he's hurt right now. I grew up loving the 49ers.

Bill Belichick told me it's okay to criticize the Patriots in the media

[Belichick] goes, like, if you have to motherfuck us, you can motherfuck us. He was telling me to do my job. It felt like a mafia meeting. It was cool.

Mac Jones has very impressive pocket awareness for a young quarterback

What I'm most impressed about with Mac [Jones] is his ability to sidestep a guy in the pocket, step up, keep his eyes downfield... and be able to deliver a ball. Those are things that you don't see very often from younger quarterbacks. That calm, cool, collect in his pocket awareness. He's not mobile by any means, but his ability to move in the pocket... he's got a good foundation going.

I can tell if a player can actually play just by looking them in the eyes in the huddle

Let me look a guy in the eyes and I'll tell you if he can play or not. That's what it is. It's in the huddle. When you're in a huddle, there's false eyes and there's not. You need to be able to look a dude in his eyes and really see if that guy, if he's ready for when it's going to come.

Belichick disciples fail as head coaches because they try to act like Bill without having his experience

It's hard to go in and and and try to be Bill Belichick without being Bill Belichick. You know you can't just go in and demand the respect and put like this crazy work schedule... you can't just go and try to copy what he does. It's not going to be you. A lot of these guys, they go in, they try to be a hard dick or they try to be this... I don't think you can just go and demand a team like you're Bill Belichick, unless you're Bill Belichick.

Julian Edelman is not retiring from football yet

Right now, we're being a dad right now, and we're sitting back, and we're training, getting our body ready for the next year... We're not there yet [on retiring]. Right now it's the time, like I said, it's going to be, this whole year was so jacked up, man. I just need to decompress for a little bit.

Tom Brady's competitive stamina is unmatched by anyone

His competitive stamina is second to zero to no one. Absolutely no one. I mean, he comes in every day with a purpose, with trying to improve something. He eats, breathes and sleeps this stuff. I've never doubted him, and I don't think anyone should.

Rob Gronkowski has an 11% chance of returning to the NFL

If I had to guess, this isn't Rob. This is you. Just guessing. I'd say maybe 11% chance [Gronk returns].

Playing for the Patriots is mentally, physically, and emotionally draining

It's mentally, physically and emotionally draining to play for the Patriots. It's not like you have Wednesday, Thursday to kind of get warm. Like we're practicing hard every day. It's tougher for me. Just get out every day and rev up.

The drop I had in the Super Bowl haunts me more than the catch that everyone talks about

I don't think about that catch when I think about [Super Bowl 51]. I think about right after halftime... I drop that ball and I was the guy over here, you know the rah-rah guy... I think about that third down how much harder it made it for us to go because we had a little momentum there. So, like, that's what I think about, bro. I don't even think about that catch. I think about that drop.

Tom Brady is a dorky guy in the locker room

Kind of like a dorky-ish kind of guy, actually. You see him in all his little commercials and he's always James Bond up... But you get him back in the locker room, man. He's shooting the crap with us, going through Instagram, making fun... Scrolling down that thing just like us.

Bill Belichick is a genius who could be a Fortune 500 CEO

This dude like went to school and should be like a governor or like a Fortune 500 company genius type guy. That's a football coach. He is football. He's become a football. I don't know... his body is shaped like a football.

My ass is the power source for everything on the football field

Everything comes from your glute, you know, your ass, your ass is your power source for everything. You gotta be a big butt guy. And so, you know, when you get that glute firing and you get everything where you're working it through that, it puts less stress on things.

Rob Gronkowski is a genius who is very calculated about his public persona

Gronk's really good with numbers, and I'm not lying... He can remember, like, plays and, like, or, like, where guys are drafted, this, that... Gronk's real calculated with with with his whole persona man. He knows that he's just the Gronk and like he can play it out and he knows when to play it out and all that stuff.