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Thought this deserved it's own thread. Karen Guregian talks to Willie McGinest about Chandler Jones:
Early raves about Chandler Jones - BostonHerald.com
Willie also had this to offer on the potential return of Andre Carter:
Former Patriot Willie McGinest — one of the last true pass-rushing studs the team employed at defensive end — hasn’t seen Jones in person at training camp, but the NFL Network analyst watched film of the Pats-Saints game. His initial impressions of the first-round pick?
“He’s real physical. I saw (Bushrod) have to tackle him one time, which means he was winning,” McGinest said. “Bushrod had his hands full. I think the kid’s gonna be fine. He showed a lot of good things, positive things.”
McGinest also liked seeing that Jones put some weight on. That will better serve him playing defensive end.
“If they go to the 3-4, he’s going to have to be able to two-gap and take on the double teams,” McGinest said. “It’s not just about pass rushing in that defense. You have to be stout. You have to play the run as well. When he’s inside, he’s going to have to be able to deal with those tackles and those tight ends, and double teams and blocking schemes as well.”
In terms of advice, naturally, McGinest offered plenty for the Syracuse alum, who Friday made his teammates incredibly happy by catching a towering Zoltan Mesko punt which earned them the evening off.
“He has a lot of good tools. I’d like to see him use his hands and his length a little more to keep guys off him, because you get tangled up with those guys, they want to wrestle and grab you and keep you in tight,” McGinest said. “But he’s a long kid, he has long arms. The only thing I saw from watching him that I would advise is using that length more to create a little more space. Pro Bowl tackles, they want you to run down the middle of them. And you saw a little bit of that. But it’ll come with reps and learning.”
Early raves about Chandler Jones - BostonHerald.com
Willie also had this to offer on the potential return of Andre Carter:
“If (Carter)’s 100 percent ready to go, and he can play, and he can give you that flexibility as another pass-rushing guy, he’s going to help the team,” McGinest said. “You know Bill (Belichick’s) all about what’s good for the team. And if you can come in and help the team, then that’s what you do. But I don’t know what type of shape he’s in, or where he’s at (post-surgery). I just think it all depends on what Andre Carter you’re getting, what he has left, and how he feels.”