Did anyone expect this out of Chung?

[Brady_to_Moss]

I had hoped he could have been like this his first stint with us. But now that we have these two beasts at CB..he can play this hybrid role and has been playing great. I think he needs good Cbs to do well...but that fine by me as we have 2 now.

I didn't think he would make the roster when we signed him this off season but wow..he has really turned it around IMO

 

[mayoclinic]

No, not at all. I was horrified at the signing to begin with. Then my main hope was that we would keep him limited to STs and off the field. Then I upgraded it to keeping him in the box or as a LB/S, and out of coverage.

Glad to be humbled.

 

[Big-T]

Total surprise.

Eagles fans were laughing when the Patriots took him back because he was even worse for Philly than he was in New England the first time round.

The coaching staff have found a role that suits him and it's paying dividends so far.

 

[mayoclinic]

Eagles fans were laughing when the Patriots took him back because he was even worse for Philly than he was in New England the first time round.

The coaching staff have found a role that suits him and it's paying dividends so far.

That's the thing. Chung was awful last year, and not just in coverage. His run support sucked, too. The coaching staff deserves big time credit for figuring this one out.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Should have known that BB would be able to evaluate him, put him in a position to use his abilities and not ask him to do anything he couldn't handle. i thought he was really just a depth signing or camp fodder (at worst), but I can't complain about the results so far (and I don't recall too many bad angles he's taken as he did as a prior pat).

Probably has as much to do with having CBs that can play as much has his own abilities.

 

[mayoclinic]

Probably has as much to do with having CBs that can play as much has his own abilities.

I think this is certainly part of it. In 2012 Chung was thrown into a role that he wasn't suited for. He was also banged up with injuries. Having Revis, Browner and McCourty around him has got to be a huge help. But there has also been a significant improvement in Chung's coverage ability, and I think that is a combination of coaching and confidence.

 

[RobertWeathers]

When it first happened, I didn't know what to make of the Chung signing.

It's very rare that BB lets players go and they come back. They are either released because they "peaked out", were beat out, were too expensive, too old or just don't fit into the teams plans anymore schematically. Then you have the "Stalin" policy when a player is traded/banished to NFL's version of Siberia (Seymour/OAK, Moss/MN and Mankins/TB). It happened w/ Branch and rumors were that he wanted Law and Lloyd back.

In their sessions with the media, BB & Patricia made it sound like Chung made some changes and circumstances with the Pats scheme might have been a factor.

What I can't figure out is why he seems so much better in coverage. Maybe because the Pats have better cover guys hes getting more favorable matchups that suit his skill set better?

 

[patsinthesnow]

He's our best S2 in awhile.

 

[Oswlek]

No. I did think Chung looked OK-to-solid in the preseason despite everyone saying he was terrible, but I can't say I thought he'd ever have a game like this past week.

 

[Haley]

Never saw this coming. And that is odd because I really liked him in his rookie year. But his play took such a nosedive that I guess I gave up on him a little bit. I'm glad I was proved wrong about his ceiling. It is much higher than it looked when we let him go.

 

[mayoclinic]

What I can't figure out is why he seems so much better in coverage. Maybe because the Pats have better cover guys hes getting more favorable matchups that suit his skill set better?

He matched up with Welker and Sanders in the Broncos game. It wasn't just Tamme. Eric Frentz has some nice clips:

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...ake_2_how_the_patriots_secondary_made_pe.html

I think one factor could be the overall improvement in secondary play that we're seeing because of Revis and Browner. Practicing with them every day has got to help the rest of the secondary. McCourty's leadership of the defense, and knowing that he has the deep part of the field covered, could also help. Regardless, there has been a huge improvement in Chung's coverage.

 

[Marinlik]

I absolutely didn't. I expected absolutely nothing from him when we signed him during the off season. I really didn't like the signing because I thought we had already seen what we had in him, and that what we had seen wasn't very good.

Now I think he's a good addition to our defense and that we should re-sign him.

But I think it should be noted that his level of play isn't just because our other parts of the defense is better and that makes him look better. He has improved his own level of play a lot. He really should get credit for that.

 

[BradyManny]

Honestly, not even sure Bill Belichick expected this out of Chung, or else he would've signed him for more. But you gotta love pleasant surprises.

We have to give credit to BB for taking a chance on him again. People blast him anytime a FA signing fails and we waste money. Right now Chung's production is outpacing his pay. He's been real good value.

 

[patchick]

I was one who actually liked the signing, and even I am surprised at his play. I was picturing an occasional in-the-box S/LB for situational matchups. On Sunday, we got a legitimate starting safety. Who knew?

 

[meatface]

The simple answer is No. Nobody expected this from Chung, I don't think BB expected this out of Chung. He was back with Chip kelly last year and still did not play well.

 

[Deus Irae]

Chung and Collins both played their roles very well in that game.

 

[hwc]

I am not surprised. Chung is an experienced NFL veteran with a lot of experience in Belichick's system. If Belichick thought enough of him to bring him back to the Patriots, I assumed there was a good chance he would find a productive role for him. Specifically, it sure looked like Chung had the skillset to play a hybrid safety/linebacker role that important in the nickle and dime packages that are now the base defenses in the NFL and important from Belichick's efforts to fill that role over the years.

 

[deters]

Been a supporter of his resigning since camp and thought he could help this team. I was expecting him to play well in the new secondary because when he was here before the talent around him was poor. However, i wasn't expecting this level of play so far. If he keeps it up, we might resign him for a few more seasons.

 

[Kdo5]

I didn't have any issue with the move to bring him back like some did. It couldn't hurt to give him another shot if he had familiarity with the defense. I thought he would make the team and if nothing else provide for us on ST. Low risk with potential to be rewarding. I'm very pleased with his play.

I'm sure it helps when you have a revamped secondary which gives him the freedom to play to his strengths. Still I loved watching Chung contesting passes to Manning's receivers and winning a number of those battles. Good for him!

 

[Kontradiction]

I think this is certainly part of it. In 2012 Chung was thrown into a role that he wasn't suited for. He was also banged up with injuries. Having Revis, Browner and McCourty around him has got to be a huge help. But there has also been a significant improvement in Chung's coverage ability, and I think that is a combination of coaching and confidence.

I think it's apparent that he's been spending more time in the film room. Likely a biproduct of playing with Revis.