TRANSCRIPT: Marcus Jones Press Conference Transcript 1/11

Here’s what New England Patriots defensive back Marcus Jones had to say following the Patriots’ 16-3 win over the Chargers on Sunday night.

On if he could start with the goal line stand, and what was the mindset as they came onto the field after the interception, and the fact Robert Spillane was saying, What a play by you on third down there to get [Justin] Herbert down to the ground, and if he can take us through that sequence and that play:

“When it comes down to it, any time that we’re in the red zone, we’re trying to get the drive stopped. Vrabes has said it multiple times. At the end of the day, that was our main thing and main objective.”

On the fact he’s played in home games here for four seasons now and he would describe the atmosphere tonight relative to what he’s experienced in the past:

“Loved it. I would definitely say the fans were loud. You could definitely tell by the false starts that the Chargers had and everything that it made a difference within the game. And then also the home atmosphere, having everyone be loud and everything like that for the offense whenever they’re making plays, and also making it harder for the opposing teams on the defensive side. We love it.”

On the first two punt returns, he did not signal a fair catch, even with the guys right there, and what did he see that makes him comfortable playing in that way:

“Yeah, I would say the thing that helps me is being aggressive, but also knowing being smart about it at the same time. Usually, certain people end up fair catching those opportunities and everything, but the main thing is possession.”

On the fact Mike [Vrabel] said he harped on the Chargers were fourth in the league on third down, and he had a couple of those huge third down plays, and just talk about the emphasis of that and his ability to make those big time stops:

“We knew going into the game, they were a good third-down offense. Our main thing is always to end up putting them in certain situations, so get back on track, having a good first down. So then next, they’re behind the sticks in second down. So being able to do those things, kind of put it in our hands because we’re also good on third down. So we were just trying to make sure that we played good first and second down defense.”

On the fact Robert Spillane was raving about the third down tackle that he had on Herbert, just noting Herbert’s size compared to your size and what you recall of the play, and two, just how much pride do you take in being able to make those types of plays:

“Yeah. I’ll first say I kind of think I’m 6’3” out there as well. Some people say it’s Little Man syndrome, but I just see myself bigger than what I am. But we had a certain coverage and everything, so that was good. So I ended up seeing no one was in my area. Typically, with those situations, quarterbacks that can extend plays with their legs, if they don’t see anything, they’ll begin to run. So I was glad to be in the right position at the right time.”

On the fact he talked about being here for several years now. Just how nice was it to get a playoff win in front of the home fans and get another game here at Gillette Stadium next week:

“Yeah. First off, I was just happy, and a lot of people on the team were happy to bring a playoff game home. You know what I mean? Being able to host it, it means means a lot. Our fans come out and support, and we always want to put on a show when it comes down to it. Then, also, definitely getting a ‘W’ here means a lot. There’s been legacy here for a minute and everything, and we’re trying to build our own. We’re trying to take it one game at a time and everything, so we’re glad to get the ‘W’ tonight.”

On talking about aggressiveness in the punt return game and how much has he enjoyed the aggressiveness he’s been able to display as a pass rusher this season when he’s gone after the quarterback on blitz opportunities:

“That’s something I’ve definitely had to work on. I would say Clint [McMillan], our D-line coach, he helped us out a lot whenever it comes to that. Then also Booker, Scott Booker as well as a safety coach. He always talks about violent at the point of attack, and then also being able to see the quarterback while you’re blitzing because sometimes, quarterbacks extend out the back way, and then sometimes they run through the B gap. So being able to know where to go and then make plays is very important.”

On the fact playoff experience is important, and that they say that the playoffs are at a completely different level than the regular season, and what did he experience tonight in terms of the playoffs having it be a different level:

“Yeah, I feel like that atmosphere. We talked about the fans, you could hear that. We all know it’s high stakes at the end of the day. You win, you advance, you lose, you’re on [vacation]. Our main thing is we love to do what we do. At the end of the day, we put in all that hard work from OTAs to training camp to the end of the season to get to the dance so we’re trying to take it one game at a time to get there.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This transcript was done based on the available footage and is subject to typographical errors. If you spot anything, please let me know in the comments below.)

About Ian Logue

Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.

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