New England Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady is competitive no matter the stakes.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman has played with Brady for five years now, and he hasn’t noticed his quarterback mellowing out yet.
“Each and every year I’ve played with him, he’s always a little more motivated the next year,” Edelman told WEEI’s Christian Fauria and Danny Picard on Monday. “That’s just kind of the guy he is. What’s his favorite game? It’s the next game. That’s just that competitor in Tom, and he plays with that chip on his shoulder.
“We’ve all seen The Brady 6 and all that stuff, and that’s really how he is. We’ll be playing a cornhole game in the locker room, and this guy is trying to win and is the most competitive guy over a gentlemen’s bet. It’s Tom. He wants to go out, and he wants to do the best he can every time. That’s what a leader does. It becomes contagious and makes other guys want to do the same.”
Rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has only been around Brady for three months, but he’s noticed a similar aura around the Patriots starter.
“Just the way he carries himself around the team, in meetings and everything. He really brings the best out of guys around him,” Garoppolo said Monday at Gillette Stadium before practice. “If you can do that, that’s the best thing a quarterback can do, I think.”
Brady has been on fire throughout the Patriots preseason. He has completed 80.6 percent of his passes in two games with three touchdowns and one interception.
