Patrick Chung

[Seneschal2]

Yes, it's horn tootin' time. Chung was not only my favorite Safety -- but my favorite player in this draft! So I'm somewhat happy :singing: :rocker: :woohoo::eat1::yeeha:

Some of my posts on Chung:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...217343-whos-your-draft-binky.html#post1287546

I've never had a binky.

I do have favorite players however, and all of them must be 'football players' first, while also possessing strong intangibles. Patrick Chung is currently in the lead.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../214453-rob-rangs-early-mock.html#post1276523

Yes sir.

Among the draft's best intangibles at any position. He'll be a standout on ST as a rookie. Ease him into the packages while he develops. The kind of player you would want on the field -- not on the bench.

IMO, Chung is a balanced player, not a liability vs the run or pass. But it's still his high production vs major competition, solid character, and strong work ethic, that would get him drafted by the Pats -- not necessarily his athleticism. He's not a top 20 player who's going to start next to Meriweather from day one. But he's the kind of player that BB wouldn't hesitate to spend a second-rounder on, thinking he'd be rewarded immediately w/ Chung's special teams play. BB seems to find roles for such players. I hope he times well.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/13/213782-fs-vs-ss.html#post1273496

If we consider BB's history in drafting Safeties, and look at this draft's crop, we'll see that a Rodney Harrison-sized Safety is hard to find. Focus on the type of player first, with less fixation on size, and we might just find the players who fit best.

BB's Safety picks:
2004 Round 3 - SS Guss Scott, 5103 204
2004 Round 4 - FS Dexter Reid, 5107 203
2005 Round 4 - SS James Sanders, 5106 214
2007 Round 1 - FS Brandon Meriweather, 5105 195

2009 Safety prospects most often mentioned:
FS/SS/CB/KR Louis Delmas, 5112 197
SS/KR Patrick Chung, 5111 207
FS/SS/OLB William Moore, 6001 223
CB/FS/SS Sean Smith, 6026 210

Currently, I'm leaning toward Chung, primarily due to his off-the-charts intangibles. Projected for round 2-3.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ayers-per-draftcountdown-fyi.html#post1300750

Chung isn't a ballhawk but his real value and strengths lie elsewhere. He'd earn his keep with his strong ST skills, as he works his way into the sub-packages. He's an extremely aggressive player w/ exc. tackling ability -- something the secondary could use. Picks and passes defended are about opportunities to make a play on the ball. Who knows how often passes were within his reach this past season -- I haven't a clue. I do know he was used at different positions as the rover back -- (CB, Strong Safety, Free Safety, and LB) which may have affected his stats. That's a lot different than a CB compiling stats in one-on-one matchups vs WRs for a whole season. With Chung -- it's about the player and his intangibles -- not his numbers.

 

[amazinPats]

Good call! I hope he works out as well.

 

[Gator Mike]

Want a Safety -- Meet Patrick Chung

Versatility? Check.

Leadership? Check.

Sure Tackler? Check.

Ability to cover receivers and tight ends? Check.

Ability to blitz? Check.

Ability to deliver big hits? Check.

Special Teams? Check.

Change of Direction Ability? Check.

Smarts/Instincts? Check.

I'm not sure what's not to love. Oh... and he's a 21-year old fifth-year senior. He started at Oregon when he was 16. I'd even give him serious consideration at #34.

 

[ScOregon]

Oregon perspective

Wanted to start a new thread, but got rejected due to insufficient post count, so I'm piggy backing on this one.

I thought you all might like a little Pat Chung insight from an Oregon fan's perspective. Keep in mind, I am a fan, not an analyst; but also know that I have seen every game the kid played at Oregon and have seen and read a ton about his interactions with his teammates and the community. Here are some points/impressions:

-He is a perfect Patriot....Take this as a compliment to the perception of your team. Chung is intelligent (graduated HS and showed up on campus at UO as a 16 year old), he is a leader, he is a high-character guy (more on that later), he plays fast, he comes up big in big games/moments, and loves to play the game.

-The guy is just a football player....Some guys just immerse themselves in the game and when you watch them play, you know they belong there. There is no awkwardness, no shying away from a collision, no hesitation about where to be or how to move around the field. Chung was special from day one at Oregon. Even during his redshirt year, when he wasn't finished growing and was the age of some high school juniors, you could watch him practice and see the fearlessness, competitiveness, skill and drive. Those of us who pay attention to such things knew he was different than most kids and were not at all suprised when he won a starting spot as a redshirt freshman, which he never let go.

-Durability/Toughness....The kid is durable and a gamer. 51 straight starts, never missed a game due to injury. However, nobody who plays as violently as Chung avoids being hurt (he just refused to be injured). Those close to the team talked about Pat playing through stuff that would have severely limited other guys' PT or kept them out all together. But he never said a word and just kept making plays.

-Character....I'm not a big proponent of "drafting for character," because the NFL is all about making plays....but if you can get a playmaker, who also has character, then that's a great thing. That's what you get with Chung. Here is a link to a pretty heady article that gives you an idea of the kind of human being Chung (and teammate Walter Thurmond - a 2010 top-3 rounds guy) is:

Oregon DBs join boy's fight against cancer. - Free Online Library

This post ended up being pretty long, but I know as a fan I always enjoy getting some perspective on my teams players that goes a bit beyond the run-of-the-mill scouting report. Hope this is helpful to some of you.

 

[khayos]

I'm now calling him:

WHAM! Chung

 

[Dirk3601215]

this is a big physical football player with a lot of heart and toughness. he can support the run well and cover the deep middle as well. this kid is gonna be a good football player for this football team.

 

[StyLeZ X]

I want to get his jersey. Hopefully he gets a good #

 

[VJCPatriot]

Chung is an excellent pick. He's the young enforcer at safety that I craved for the Pats defense. He has better size than Delmas and apparently no durability issues, 51 straight starts. So let's hope that Chung lives up to our high expectations.

 

[Holy Diver]

this was all I needed to see.....

YouTube - Patrick Chung Blocking


watch the upper left hand side at about the 30-35 yard line after the interception....


#15 for Oregon

Then watch it again at the 45 yard line

 

[The_Riddler]

He literally took out two mammoth Michigan OT's, oh man.................

 

[cavtroop]

this was all I needed to see.....

YouTube - Patrick Chung Blocking


watch the upper left hand side at about the 30-35 yard line after the interception....


#15 for Oregon

Then watch it again at the 45 yard line

LOL, that was great! I'm excited about this kid now

 

[363839]

I love it when a fan of one of our draftees comes to the board to give us insight into that player. I remember Jerod Mayo got some of that here last year. Thanks Scoregon. A good sign indeed.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

LOL, that was great! I'm excited about this kid now

me two! i think he will be starting mid season and who know harrison might come back as a coach to help mentor BM and PC

 

[goducks10]

Another Oregon fan here - I was very surprised by the pick. Unfortunately I do not have much good to say about Chung. He got worse as he got older (4 year starter).

2008 season oregon had a very hyped up secondary with byrd, chung etc...

However the secondary (especially chung) frequently was dominated by sub par teams (Ducks had worst secondary in NCAA I think, certainly pac-10). The secondary routinely bit on play action plays, chung got burned a lot. I thought chung played absolutely terrible last year. He was dominated by tight ends. Rob Grownkowski had 12 catches 143 yards and a touchdown primarily against chung... Chung being on the worst secondary in college football is no coincidence. Chung was pretty good at stopping the run though, however you want a DB, not a middle linebacker...

I have no idea why 2 oregon dbs got picked in the second round... the secondary was the worst it has been in a long long time at oregon...

 

[rainmaker]

Pats fan living in Oregon. Great leader and had an awesome Junior year as a play making strong safety. Fast, athletic and smart. Had a worse statistical senior year, as he was asked to switch to playing center field more often to compensate for a young free safety who often got burned. Didn't get as many opportunities to make plays as a result. We will love this guy and see him playing a meaningful role in 2009.

 

[goducks10]

Pats fan living in Oregon. Great leader and had an awesome Junior year as a play making strong safety. Fast, athletic and smart. Had a worse statistical senior year, as he was asked to switch to playing center field more often to compensate for a young free safety who often got burned. Didn't get as many opportunities to make plays as a result. We will love this guy and see him playing a meaningful role in 2009.

Did you see the Arizona game? Chung is pretty much worthless in coverage... If he can't cover a tight end in college there is no way he will have success in the pros.

 

[ScOregon]

Did you see the Arizona game? Chung is pretty much worthless in coverage... If he can't cover a tight end in college there is no way he will have success in the pros.

Two things:

1. Chung was not man-up on Gronkowski for all those catches (I'd say about 4)....Ward, and LB's had lots of blame there. Also, Rob Gronkowski is a future top-2 round draft pick and by far the top tight end in the Pac-10. Agree that it was not one of Chung's finer performances, though he did return an interception for a touchdown and this was during the time that he was pretty seriously banged up, but was playing anyway.

2. The secondary giving up plays had much more to do with scheme and injuries, than with Chung, that's for sure. We were much worse when Thurmond was out or limited, so that was one issue. The other part of the equation is scheme....Do you really think our defensive front was good enough to make us #1 in the conference against the run? No, of course not....but we brought extra guys into the box and put our secondary in difficult spots quite regularly.

In the end, I'm not here to say Patrick Chung is infallible, just that he is a pretty darn good football player. I'd also say there is a better than 50% chance that "goducks10" is a Beaver fan (OSU, our in-state rivals). If not a Beaver fan, he would have to be some kind of odd malcontent hater to come to a pro team's message board and bash one of the classiest, hardest-working, and productive players his school has ever produced.

 

[maverick4]

Patriot Pat is going to be a fixture for years.

 

[goducks10]

Two things:

1. Chung was not man-up on Gronkowski for all those catches (I'd say about 4)....Ward, and LB's had lots of blame there. Also, Rob Gronkowski is a future top-2 round draft pick and by far the top tight end in the Pac-10. Agree that it was not one of Chung's finer performances, though he did return an interception for a touchdown and this was during the time that he was pretty seriously banged up, but was playing anyway.

2. The secondary giving up plays had much more to do with scheme and injuries, than with Chung, that's for sure. We were much worse when Thurmond was out or limited, so that was one issue. The other part of the equation is scheme....Do you really think our defensive front was good enough to make us #1 in the conference against the run? No, of course not....but we brought extra guys into the box and put our secondary in difficult spots quite regularly.

In the end, I'm not here to say Patrick Chung is infallible, just that he is a pretty darn good football player. I'd also say there is a better than 50% chance that "goducks10" is a Beaver fan (OSU, our in-state rivals). If not a Beaver fan, he would have to be some kind of odd malcontent hater to come to a pro team's message board and bash one of the classiest, hardest-working, and productive players his school has ever produced.

You are entitled to your opinion. However, I do not think that you can call any member of the 2008 secondary "productive". Almost every team dominated us. We were the worst in the NCAA.

 

[Holy Diver]

You are entitled to your opinion. However, I do not think that you can call any member of the 2008 secondary "productive". Almost every team dominated us. We were the worst in the NCAA.

I'll take Bill belichick's opinion on the character and play of Chung. Thanks for your insight though.....