#Patriots’ Julian Edelman ready for life without Tom Brady

It’s fair to wonder how Julian Edelman is coping without the other half of his long-term bromance, Tom Brady. But the Patriots star wide receiver sounds like he’s ready to move on.

“Obviously it’s a little different (not having Brady around), but you’ve got to move on and understand this is a business,” Edelman told reporters Monday. “You wish him well. That’s when you instantly start thinking about what you have to do to prepare yourself to go out and contribute and help the team for the upcoming year.

“We’ve played a lot of ball together. I love him to death, but the train keeps moving, as it will when I’m not playing here or something. I mean, it always keeps going. So, we’ve got to worry about the people we have here.”

Edelman and Brady openly used the word “love” to describe their relationship, often comparing it to being like brothers. The duo won three Super Bowls together during 11 seasons as teammates, but Edelman is reportedly motivated to prove that he’s not just a product of a superstar quarterback.

“There’s a lot of guys that are passionate for football,” he said. “Of course Tom has a passion that’s a very big one. But he’s moved on and he’s somewhere else.

“We’re worried about the passion of the players that are on this team right now, and I can tell you right now, there’s a lot of guys that are very passionate and very hungry.”

The 34-year-old Edelman will now field passes from Cam Newton, who signed a one-year, $550,000 guaranteed contract with the Patriots last month, or second-year pass-thrower Jarrett Stidham. Edelman and Newton got a head start on developing their chemistry with a workout together earlier this summer.