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T
he New England Patriots are relying upon Jonathan Jones to be their top cornerback and because of that, he has earned a glowing comparison.
Jones had a quality performance in New England’s Week 1 loss. The cornerback had four total tackles as well as a forced fumble per Pro Football Reference. Going up against Tyreek Hill, Jones held his own. Especially considering it was Jones’ first game since last October when he suffered a shoulder injury. Jones only allowed two catches for under 30 yards.
Patriots coaches had plenty of praise for Jones in the days after the loss.
“Jon has been a very versatile and important piece of our team since he came here,” Bill Belichick said.
“I’ve loved that kid since the day he walked in the building,” added Steve Belichick. “I can’t say enough good things about Jon Jones. Having him back on the field helps everybody on defense.”
What Are Opponents Saying About Jones?
New England faces the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 as the Patriots attempt to get their first win of the season. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin compared Jones to two very talented cornerbacks who spent some time with the Patriots.
“Mike Tomlin says the way Jonathan Jones was used against the Dolphins reminds him of how the Patriots would use Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in the past,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth tweeted.
Mike Tomlin says the way Jonathan Jones was used against the Dolphins reminds him of how the Patriots would use Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in the past.
Gilmore has had quite the career making it to five Pro Bowl’s in his 11-year career. He also was named an All-Pro twice.
The cornerback spent three seasons in New England and tallied 11 interceptions in 56 games per Pro Football Reference. Gilmore won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in Super Bowl 53 as New England’s defense stood strong against the Los Angeles Rams.
J.C. Jackson also had a quality start to his career with the Patriots. He spent his first four seasons in New England and racked up 25 interceptions per Pro Football Reference.
Bill Belichick Gets the Blame
On a recent episode of Get Up former head coach Rex Ryan put the blame for New England’s struggles on the Patriots head coach.
“It’s his decision. Every factor in that organization is Bill Belichick’s decision,” Ryan said Monday. “He earned that right, but going back to last year, bringing in Nelson Agholor, how’s that working for you? Don’t complain about the weapons. You chose those weapons.
“Nobody can get open. … All these moves that you made, you have no weapons, one of the reasons is because you can’t evaluate them. You’ve done a poor job evaluating the weapons.”
Ryan also called out Belichick’s decision to bring in Joe Judge and Matt Patricia to coach the offense.
“You have a very smart kid at quarterback, smart enough to know that Matt Patricia and Joe Judge probably ain’t that good a football coach for him, I mean offensive coaching-wise,” Ryan said.
So the Patriots have a lot of work to do if they want to start winning games but having Jones at cornerback gives them some level of comfort and confidence in the secondary.