Getty New England Patriots
T
he life that comes with being a member of the New England Patriots isn’t for everyone.
At the height of their dominance, New England was known for its no nonsense culture that propelled them to multiple Super Bowls. While things have changed since then, the Patriots nearly made a Pro Bowl cornerback quit the game.
New England will be facing the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 and they will see Kenny Moore III who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent. While Moore never suited up for New England, his experience had a deep effect on him.
“That was one of the low spots of my life,” Moore said, “because that’s really when I felt like, ‘I’m probably not built for the league.’ And having that feeling of, ‘You’re not good enough,’ that’s a bad feeling. You feel like you don’t belong. I lost all of my joy and passion. I didn’t even want to play football. I didn’t want to go to work anymore. I was depressed. I was trying to fight my way out of it.
“It just felt robotic,” he added. “You don’t want to do anything else but go home and go to sleep because tomorrow is about to be crazy. I really felt like I was in the military. Like, damn.”
How Is Moore Performing This Season?
So far this season, Moore has 40 tackles along with a sack per Pro Football Reference. This is far off from his performance last season when he ended up being a Pro Bowler. In 2021, Moore had over 100 tackles, four interceptions and a sack.
When Mac Jones hits the field, he will need t watch out for Moore as well as Stephon Gilmore. Jones talked about the challenges he will face in Week 9 against Indy.
“Yeah, I think this is, once again, one of the top defenses in the league. Great front, great backend, great linebackers,” he said. “They got the players and obviously it’s a little newer scheme compared to last year, with Gus Bradley, but they’ve obviously done a really good job this year in tackles for loss, pressures, and all that. They’re getting back there to the quarterback, and it’s just a really good defense. We’ve just got to be ready to go.”
What Does Jones Think of Gilmore?
While Jones and Gilmore didn’t play too many games together, the Patriots quarterback is excited to face off the former New England cornerback.
“Yeah he looks great,” Jones said. “I think I was here with him just for a little bit. Obviously he was injured and stuff. He looks great out there. He’s just a great cornerback. Still is. You can tell they’re putting him out there, and he’s locking down the guys for the most part. Just covering them one-on-one. Just doing his thing. He’s definitely still a premiere cornerback. I have all the respect in the world for him and how he treated me when I was here young. Just some of the information he gave me in the training room, just at his locker. He’s definitely an all-time dude. Excited to go against him again here.”