In Julian Edelman's 11 NFL seasons, Tom Brady has been the only starting quarterback he's known. That TB12-led locomotive won the AFC East title each of those years.
Now Brady is gone, and Edelman is getting used to life with a different conductor.
"Obviously it's a little different," the wideout said Monday in a video conference with reporters. "But you've got to move on and you understand this is a business. You wish him well. That's when you instantly start thinking about yourself. ... We've played a lot of ball together. I love him to death, but the train keeps moving."
Edelman won three Super Bowls with Brady and was the QB's glue receiver the past half-dozen seasons he played. Even at 34 years old, he's coming off a 100-catch, 1,117-yard, six-TD season in 2019.
"It's definitely crazy," Edelman said of being the veteran leader now. "I can remember like it was yesterday when I was a rookie. Time flies when you're having fun. ... Wise old vet now, I guess."
That wise old vet will have a new quarterback in Cam Newton, the presumed starter. Edelman's first impression of Newton was positive.
"He's a specimen, for sure. When you first meet him ... just his stature. The dude is large," he said.
Newton's athletic ability should transform the Patriots offense into something we haven't seen with Brady starting for the past 20 years. It's a whole new world for everybody, including Edelman.
And everyone in Foxborough is ready to jump on that new train.
