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One of the most pivotal pieces in the New England Patriots’ franchise over the past decade has been Patrick Chung.
The 33-year-old announced his retirement this offseason after opting-out of the 2020 season. He was drafted by the Patriots and spent 10 years on the roster — recording 11 interceptions, 54 passes deflected, 719 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Chung has three Super Bowl victories with the team and has plenty of knowledge to pass down the younger Patriots players.
Second-year defensive players Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche spoke with reporters on Tuesday and they both shared the knowledge they’re still receiving from Chung.
“There’s just so much more to learn,” Uche said. “I was talking to Patrick Chung the other day and he said something that stuck with me, which was, ‘Learn till you die.’ The moment that you think you know everything is the moment that you’ve lost. So I’m just trying to learn every day and just get better every day.”
Before Chung announced his retirement, Uche continued to gain from the Patriots great.
“So I got the honor to actually talk to him briefly and ask him some words of advice and words of wisdom,” Uche added. “That was one of the main things he said was you have to continue to learn. You don’t know it all. You should never go in thinking you already have all the answers. So that’s where it came out, that’s where he said, ‘Learn till you die.’ It’s stuck with me ever since.”
Dugger will likely take Chung’s role as the versatile safety who can cover ground on all levels of the defense.
“Grasp things. Take hold of them. Trust yourself. Trust what you learn, what you’ve been taught my first year. And really trust yourself to be able to … be able to use everything and be able to play faster and allow yourself to be in your own rhythm,” Dugger said.
Dugger began watching clips of Chung and is using him as a model of how to fit into the Patriots’ defense. While speaking with reporters, he also detailed his confidence level in general heading into next season.
“I haven’t been able to watch as many game clips as I’ve like, but I’ve definitely watched a lot of practice clips which is just as useful,” Dugger said. “I have been able to watch every other day at least, just from coaches showing me exactly what, the correct way to do things. I definitely would like to model my game after him, the roles he’s played, the versatility he has, physicality, everything he brought to the defense.”
Chung is one of many former Patriots who are willing to pass their knowledge down to younger generations, while keeping the legendary dynasty alive.
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