FOXBORO, Mass. — The Ty Laws and Peter Kings of the world made a big to-do out of a comment that Jack Jones made after last Sunday’s Patriots-Packers game.
Devin McCourty? He doesn’t really care. He’s just glad his teammate is playing well and with confidence.
Jones showed his great playmaking skills in jumping an out route and picking off Aaron Rodgers during New England’s loss to Green Bay. After the overtime defeat, the rookie cornerback delivered a great quote when asked about the play.
“Personally, I feel like it’s disrespectful to throw an out route on me,” Jones said. “If you can throw the ball past me to get to the receiver, I’m no good.”
The comment was met with mixed reactions.
“Hey kid: They threw out routes on Deion Sanders! (Not many, but some.),” King wrote in his latest Football Morning in America column. “How did the 121st pick in the draft get so big-headed to think one of the best quarterbacks ever was insulting him by throwing the kind of route that’s thrown 162 times a week in the NFL?”
Law, one of the best players in Patriots history, also had an issue with the remark.
“I don’t think anybody in that secondary, especially a rookie, can say something like that,” Law said during a WEEI interview. “You ain’t making enough plays to say something like that. Shut up.”
But McCourty had a different take.
“I laugh,” the Patriots safety said when asked how he reacts to comments like the one Jones made. “Listen, that’s what it’s about: to be young, be energetic, confident. I mean, he was happy to be out there. You know, he’s obviously played a little bit this year. But, find out (Jalen) Mills isn’t gonna be able to go … I like the guy that’s like, ‘Alright, I’m ready,’ and not the guy that’s like, ‘Man, I didn’t know, I don’t know.’
“Jack was ready to go. And I think you can appreciate that. And, you know, after the game, he made a great play in the game, made a comment about it, I think the locker room (isn’t) making a big deal about that. It is what it is. He’s just gotta make sure he doesn’t give up any (out routes) now.”
When asked whether Jones was called to the “principal’s office,” McCourty jokingly added: “I don’t know, you gotta ask him. Don’t put me on the hot spot.”
Ultimately, all that matters is whether Jones is playing well. J.C. Jackson showed similarly blunt confidence during his time in New England, and you could argue it translated to the way he played on gameday. Some players need to carry themselves that way on and off the field to succeed in the NFL.
The great news for the Patriots is that Jones, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is off to a great start. In fact, the Arizona State product currently is the highest-graded corner on Pro Football Focus — a fact that definitley carries a few caveats. Nevertheless, the young corner has been impressive through four games.
Jones will look to keep it up when the Patriots host the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
