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The New York Jets passed up on several veteran free-agent in favor of younger talent in 2021 — Neville Hewitt, Jordan Jenkins, Breshad Perriman, Henry Anderson and more.
It should come as no surprise that a couple of those players ended up with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The famed head coach had a falling out with the Jets franchise when Woody Johnson took over and he’s appeared to hold a grudge ever since, whether it’s running up a score or trying to turn NYJ castoffs into Pats contributors.
This offseason, Belichick had already brought in the aforementioned Anderson as well as ex-Jets linebacker Harvey Langi. Neither worked out well for New England though, as both players ended up on the injured reserve after providing little-to-no impact.
Well, perhaps third time’s the charm.
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Brian Poole Signs With Patriots
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, former Gang Green nickelback Brian Poole has signed with the Patriots practice squad.
This makes a lot of sense, considering Belichick just lost his starting slot DB, Jonathan Jones, to a season-ending injury. Poole was a fan favorite that many green and white supporters were hoping to bring back into the fold this summer before the emergence of rookie Michael Carter II, and it always hurts to see a player you enjoyed rooting for joining a hated rival.
Having said that, the Jets definitely made the right move in this scenario. The veteran tried to latch on in New Orleans but never took the field because of injury. He ended up being released with an injury settlement.
As we mentioned, the Pats are thin at this area of the secondary right now. Jones amounted for 144 of the franchise’s coverage snaps in the slot in 2021 (per Pro Football Focus), with safety Kyle Dugger and defensive back Jalen Mills helping out behind him.
If Poole can get his body back on track, there’s no reason a promotion to the active roster isn’t a possibility in the near future.
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Belichick Welcomes Saleh Into the Division
Belichick has officially swept Robert Saleh during his rookie campaign as head coach, and he did it in embarrassing fashion. During Week 2, the team competed before Zach Wilson threw the game away with four interceptions. During Week 7, the Patriots ran Gang Green out of the building.
Last night I wrote about a Joe Benigno podcast rant that channeled how many Jets fans are feeling right now. People are pissed off. The fanbase thought they were getting a coaching staff that could turn this thing around and what they ended up with was a product worse than what Adam Gase and Gregg Williams mustered up the past two seasons.
Couple that with the same old response from the owners after a lifeless post-bye outing and you have a fanbase on the verge of mutiny.
Players like Poole didn’t help the Jets make the playoffs but they did provide us with competitive football games. The current roster must at least do that, otherwise what’s the point?
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