Following Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium, Marcus Jones had already seemed to turn the page on his performance.
Coming off a game that saw Jones finish with two passes defended, including an interception he returned for a touchdown, he seems to understand the opportunity that’s now in front of him.
Win next week, and a chance to play in the Super Bowl is on the table.
“Yeah, man, it’s great to be in a position that we are,” said Jones following Sunday’s 28-16 Divisional Round win over the Texans. “But we’re one of those people, one of those teams, I would say, that love to flip the page.”
This is a team that’s done a terrific job of doing just that all season, and it’s one of the things Mike Vrabel has talked about following nearly every victory. He loves the fact that, despite how happy they are to win, they want more.
Much more.
“Everybody’s making plays. Everybody’s helping us win,” said Vrabel during his postgame press conference. “I’m excited for these guys, but they’re also, they’re not satisfied, and I can tell that.”
One other thing that stands out is the fact that this is a close-knit group that has clearly relished its opportunity each week out on the field in every win throughout this run. Vrabel has talked about the identity his team has, but it seems to have gone beyond that.
While they’ve made it clear how much they love playing for their head coach, they also seem to love being out there together, trying to make plays for the guys around them and playing for each other.
It’s a feeling that almost mirrors the philosophy we watched as the year went along in 2001, when we saw a similar effort. At the same time, this group seems to be on the verge of being even better, which feels amazing to say given who they had.
That’s a group that back then had Ty Law and Otis Smith lining up opposite each other that postseason. This year, it’s Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. The linebackers were Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, and Roman Phifer. This season has Robert Spillane, Anfernee Jennings, and Christian Elliss, with Harold Landry also part of that mix.
Individually, none of those guys, save for Law, were really superstars. But together? They were outstanding.
That’s what the Patriots seem to have this year, and Jones sort of inferred that with his comments. Right now, they all have the same goal, and as happy as they are to have made it this far, they’re not done just yet.
With one more game to go before they’ll play on the biggest stage of the season, in their minds, it’s time to turn the page toward the next one. They’ll celebrate Sunday’s victory, and then Jones said he’s already excited to start getting ready for their match-up next weekend out in Denver.
“I would say the identity,” said Jones when asked about the consistency they’ve shown this season. “A lot of people would be like, ‘Well, what about the identity?’ We all have the same common goal when it comes down to the end of the day.”
“Whatever helps us win, we’re down for it.”
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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.
