Maybe Terrance Mitchell ought to have helped Matthew Judon making an attempt to recruit gamers to New England.
Listening to Mitchell throughout a video convention with reporters Thursday, he couldn’t be happier having signed a free agent contract to play for the Patriots. It’s like he discovered a slice of heaven, touchdown in Foxboro, and hooking up with Bill Belichick.
“Best feeling ever being here, for real,” Mitchell mentioned.
The cornerback, who signed a one-year deal value $3 million final month, has performed for 5 different groups, the newest being Houston the place he was a starter.
He couldn’t say sufficient concerning the gamers, the latest historical past of the staff, and simply being in New England itself. Mitchell known as it a “great land,” one which he discovered about early on.
“Just all the history behind it, the 13 colonies,” he mentioned, “I remember this stuff in elementary school.”
He additionally remembers the entire Patriots profitable over the previous to many years, the six championships and quite a few Super Bowl appearances. He mentioned he was drawn to all of it when he was contemplating the place to go in free company.
“When you think about it as a kid, the NBA, you’ve got Phil Jackson, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Bulls,” he mentioned. “Then when you think about NFL dynasties like the Patriots, man, there’s no other. I think every kid growing up in this era, seeing the Patriots, and being able to play for them, it’s just crazy… that’s self explanatory right there. The Pats, that’s the team. For real.”
Mitchell, together with many different gamers, is presently taking part within the Patriots voluntary offseason program. Asked if he had gotten into the playbook a lot, the cornerback as soon as once more gave the impression of he was placing out a Patriots infomercial.
“It’s beautiful,” he mentioned. “It’s like you’re at the toy store, getting a whole bunch of toys. It’s fun.”
So has attending to know the gamers, together with these within the cornerback room. Mitchell, who turns 30 this month, raved about lastly having the ability to meet Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, who returned to the Patriots after briefly retiring from soccer final season.
“He’s just as cool as I thought he would be,” mentioned Mitchell. “Everybody here is cool. I just love all the teammates. It’s just a good vibe, good chemistry with everybody. It’s just beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Mitchell, who figures to be a depth piece within the secondary, had his finest seasons as a member of the Cleveland Browns. That’s the place he related with present Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf.
Mitchell performed in 39 video games, beginning 27 of them. He had two picks, 5 compelled fumbles along with 124 tackles.
During his one season with the Texans in 2021, he recorded 10 passes defensed, an interception and three compelled fumbles.
What had he discovered being a starter final two seasons?
“Just really from a scheme aspect and mentally, just learning different tools, what works, what doesn’t work,” he mentioned. “Just gaining more understanding . . . experience is key. That’s helped me grow to where I’m at now.”
Having performed in a number of completely different defensive schemes over the course of his profession, he mentioned he’s “like an encyclopedia” with regards to terminology.
One of his favourite issues concerning the Patriots’ defensive system is how a lot they worth versatility within the secondary.
He’s simply hoping to do his half.
“I just want to go out here and put my best foot forward. Play hard, play smart and help win some games.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com