An interesting subject in sports has always been whether a team can benefit from “chemistry.” I’m not referring to the subject you ultimately failed at in high school, but the locker room kind.
Recently, two-time Super Bowl Champion Julian Edelman was a guest on an installment of Players’ Only on NFL Network where he joined LaDainian Tomlinson and David Carr to talk about team chemistry specifically for the New England Patriots.
“It’s always interesting to see a team’s chemistry,” Edelman said. “It just so happens to be that the two teams I was involved with with the best chemistry happen to win Super Bowls.”
Edelman credited the front office for bringing the guys into the locker room, saying that the team got along and there was “no beef.”
“Another thing is about the team chemistry is that there’s an accountability factor for each side of the ball. There’s fights, there’s some talk going on, but if I see a guy across from me who is giving his best, he’s going to make me better,” explained Edelman. “When I’m giving my best, it’s going to make him better.”
When Edelman was a rookie he says he was surrounded by players who were professional, which was different from someone who looked at it as “just a job.” After eight years with the Patriots, Edelman has seen his fair share of Super Bowl Champions and professionals as teammates.
He then spotlighted the employees who do the “crap work” for everyone else and says that rubs off on the young guys and that’s how things are in New England.
See the entire interview on NFL.com here.