FOXBORO — Last week, a number of Patriots gamers expressed pleasure at seeing J.C. Jackson again within the crew facility.
They weren’t alone in that.
Defensive assistants Steve and Brian Belichick mentioned Tuesday they had been blissful to have Jackson again on the crew after the Pats reacquired him in a commerce with the Chargers. Jackson returns to New England, the place he spent the primary 4 years of his profession and made a Pro Bowl. Last Sunday, Jackson didn’t begin his first sport again in opposition to the Saints, however did play half of the crew’s defensive snaps in a pre-planned rotation at cornerback.
Could he do extra beginning this Sunday at Las Vegas?
“I don’t know. I don’t look at it like that. I’m not trying to run around the question,” defensive play-caller Steve Belichick mentioned, “but a lot of stuff happens in the game, and you don’t want to throw a guy right into the fire, but at the same time, if you need him, you use him. So it’s a certain balance in who’s available and stuff like that.”
What did the Belichicks see from Jackson’s return?
“He only got here, it feels like a couple days ago, so getting into the building — obviously he played the game and so he’s in good enough shape to do that, and that’s good. So it was great to see him again,” mentioned Brian, the Patriots’ safeties coach. “I got to know him really well when he was here, and it was great to see his face again.”
Steve added: “He’s only been here for a week, but I got a lot of love for J.C. … Not a ton has changed since he’s been gone in a little over a year or whatever it’s been, but at the same time, just re-integrating him back into what we do, it’s good to have J.C. back.”
Jackson, the self-nicknamed “Mr. INT,” led the league in interceptions throughout his first stint with the Patriots from 2018-21. This season, the Pats have a league-worst two takeaways. If Jackson does begin, he’ll substitute both veteran Jonathan Jones or Myles Bryant at exterior nook, with rookie Christian Gonzalez and Jack Jones on injured reserve.
Source: www.bostonherald.com