Some thoughts on this Thursday:<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0With all the talk going on about J.C. Jackson, the obvious question is if the two sides can’t reach an agreement, their depth becomes a huge question mark.<\/p>\n
As it currently stands, they’re sitting on a just handful of guys in their defensive backfield, with their next best cornerback being Jonathan Jones likely one of the potential next men up in 2022.\u00a0 He’s not the same type of player, but he was having an outstanding season prior to getting hurt and was definitely one of their better coverage corners.<\/p>\n
Jalen Mills had an up and down first season, but while he appears to just be a very good player, he’s obviously not at the level of Jackson.\u00a0 We saw Myles Bryant see extended action last season and he still has some work to do, while Justin Bethel also saw some snaps but his value has been primarily on special teams and he struggled when he did see time in the secondary.<\/p>\n
Joejuan Williams did see a fair amount of snaps last season, but he was inconsistent.\u00a0 From there, the team made a deal with Baltimore last season for last year’s 5th round pick, Shaun Wade, and reports seem to indicate that Wade could be among young players competing for playing time this season.<\/p>\n
Wade was a Consensus All-American in 2020 for Ohio State, as well as a team captain, finishing his final season with six passes defended, including two interceptions.\u00a0 The belief in Baltimore when he was traded, despite just being selected in the draft months earlier, appeared to center on the fact the Ravens had a crowded defensive backfield and that simply made Wade expendable.<\/p>\n
The rookie also appeared to have some issues settling into the defense during camp, although Baltimore reportedly knew his development was going to take some time.\u00a0 However, it seemingly reached a point where there just wasn’t a role for him, and given the other guys they had, it left them with a difficult decision.\u00a0 That’s why when New England apparently inquired, Baltimore was willing to make the deal because as it was, they were concerned he wouldn’t clear waivers.<\/p>\n
Wade did see action last season, quietly playing in 11 defensive snaps.\u00a0 The only “memorable” moment that stands out for him was the fact he gave up what could have been the game-tying score against the Giants after allowing a 43-yard touchdown<\/strong><\/a> in the closing seconds of the game that pulled New York to within a 2-point conversion at 22-20 (it did look like there might have been an offensive pass interference penalty after replay showed the receiver appeared to push off, knocking Wade to the ground).\u00a0 However, Wade forced an incompletion when the Giants tried to tie it on the 2-point attempt on the ensuing play, allowing New England to hold on for the win.<\/p>\n Whether or not he’ll factor into the mix this year remains to be seen, but it’s obvious that the Patriots have some tough decisions to make and Jackson’s future remains the one we’ll all be watching.<\/p>\n 2) The Patriots official site had a nice bit on Mac Jones<\/strong><\/a>, who sat down for a brief interview to talk about the Pro Bowl, attending the NFL Honors Ceremony, as well as his offseason plans.<\/p>\n For those who missed the video, here’s a quick transcription of the bits where Jones talked during the segment:<\/p>\n On being at the Pro Bowl:<\/strong><\/p>\n “It was really fun to be there with my teammates too that we had there from the Patriots, [it] was awesome.”<\/p>\n On being at the NFL Honors Ceremony:<\/strong><\/p>\n “When I was watching the honors ceremony I was thinking about how cool it was to be up there watching people get inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u00a0 Even someone like Tony Boselli, for example, who I knew from being in Jacksonville, was up there.\u00a0 LeRoy Butler, how he got inducted … his high school coach was my high school coach so things like that … Richard Seymour from the Patriots, it was just really cool to see the whole nine yards of people and all that.”<\/p>\n On what he’s looking forward to about the Offseason:<\/strong><\/p>\n “I want to be back close to home in New England during the offseason because we obviously have our place there and …. just figure out ways to become a better quarterback and then do whatever we can to put more points on the board so we can win more games.”<\/p>\n On having a full season under his belt:<\/strong><\/p>\n “I think back to my freshman year at Alabama, you know, you’re kind of figuring everything out.\u00a0 And then you get older and yet you’re just more experienced with everything … the media, the games, everything.”<\/p>\n On getting a chance to recharge:<\/strong><\/p>\n “I think that’s the fun part about everything.\u00a0 The offseason is, you get a second just to catch your breath and figure everything out and this has definitely been the longest year.\u00a0 It’s been almost two years of football.\u00a0 I love football and I love to keep going as best I can, but it’s always good to step away and evaluate what you can get better at too.”<\/p>\n Jones already looks energized heading into his second season and after a solid rookie campaign, it should be fun to see how well he performs in his sophomore season.<\/p>\n 3) One terrific story came out on Wednesday about head coach Bill Belichick, who has stayed busy during his brief time off this offseason by instead focusing on his charity, which is doing some great things.<\/p>\n According to a release that Adam Schefter highlighted in a Tweet, Belichick’s foundation is distributing $385,000 in scholarships and grants to various underprivileged youth and sports programs in need.<\/p>\n The Bill Belichick Foundation is distributing $385,000 in scholarships and grants to provide athletic experiences and opportunities to underprivileged youth and sports programs in need. Here is a portion of the release sent out today: pic.twitter.com\/23IgPYyHee<\/a><\/p>\n — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 23, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n