Tom Brady is a man whose leadership propelled him to the status of NFL legend. The former quarterback was the biggest superstar of the previous two decades, and fans were completely obsessed with him. Everyone loved him except his teammates. Shocked? But yeah, this is a new aspect of the QB, which was revealed recently on the Dudes on Dudes podcast.
Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski spoke extensively about Tom Brady. They talked about when they were most annoyed by their previous captain. In this conversation, Rob Gronkowski began to discuss a time when the legendary quarterback was unhappy with him.
Gronk claimed that at the time, he was a rookie and not particularly athletic on the field. The former NFL player said that he was unable to sneak past the defender and receive Brady’s pass. Unfortunately, because of his stature, he was not able to move pretty quickly, and the quarterback once snapped at him.
via Reuters
Which former NFL player credited Tom Brady’s tough leadership for pushing him to improve his performance?
Julian Edelman Rob Gronkowski Peyton Manning Aaron Rodgers
Due to this Gronk revealed that in a team meeting, Tom Brady scolded him, “Brady just turns around in the meeting because it’s on film. He turns around and goes ‘Gronk I am f—— done throwing you the ball’ and like I go all sad and Alge Crumbler started patting my leg and he goes like it’s okay Gronk he does not mean this thing.”
This was a big thing to say to a rookie, but it appears Gronk took the reprimand rather seriously. The man explained how this experience sparked a desire in him to demonstrate to Tom Brady what he is truly capable of. He then pushed himself to his boundaries and evolved into the person he is today. Gronk also stated that he recognizes Brady as the person who has always encouraged him to push his boundaries.
But wait a minute, didn’t Julian Edelman discuss his story about Brady being the most annoying too? Let’s look at it as well.
Edelman despised Tom Brady’s remarks while he was returning punts
Yes, this was the annoying part for the former WR experienced with the NFL icon. Julian Edelman discussed the first time he returned a punt and how Tom Brady was just standing on the sideline. Rather than assisting the WR, the quarterback acted like a coach, directing him on what to do.
At the moment, Edelman said that he was sweating hard, but Brady was shouting at him as if it was an easy task. This irritated the former WR much since he began to believe that the QB was unaware of what a WR goes through on the field.
Julian Edelman believes this was the point at which he became annoyed because he, too, was new to the field. At that time, he was not at all treated as a rookie and Tom Brady was rather trying to push him much harder. A quarterback’s job is to pass the ball to the receivers, who will carry the ball against the big men attempting to tackle them.
Edelman said, “My god when I return punts, I remember my rookie year. It was my first punt return. I see Tom on the sidelines and he was like coaching me up on how to return a punt like just get upfield! I am sitting there and I am looking at him. This guy has never done this. He does not know what I am feeling right now. I was so annoyed with him. ”
“That’s the leadership he had. He was brutally honest. And he would freaking get you to go to next level.” Concluded Gronk about that’s the way he led them to be great. Edelman completely agreed with Gronk on that thought, saying, “Brutally honest!”
After discussing their different annoying stories, both former players discussed how Brady never made them feel like they were rookies. As a result, they pushed themselves extremely hard to reach the level of play required for the NFL. What do you think of the two legends’ stories? Do you agree with their assessment of Tom Brady?