Tag: anfernee jennings

Bill Belichick impressed with versatility of Anfernee Jennings

Bill Belichick indicated he was impressed with the play of a rookie linebacker

As the New England Patriots 2020 draft class gets more and more chances to make impacts this season, one draft pick in particular is making his presence felt.

Linebacker Anfernee Jennings has impressed the pages coaching staff, and now he is taking on multiple roles because of it. Jennings has been both an off-ball linebacker and an edge defender. Earlier this week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talked about how Jennings took on of those roles at Alabama.

So far, the head coach is very impressed with what Jennings has been able to bring to the table. and see similarities to when he played in Tuscaloosa.

“Yeah, it takes a lot of work,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “It’s really hard to play one, and to play both takes a good level of instinctiveness and both mental and physical versatility because the skill sets are quite different between playing off the ball and only a few inches away from a good blocking tight end or a good receiving tight end. So, those are challenges.

“Jennings did both those things at Alabama. He also is a very, very good communicator and signal-caller and had roles on third down, as well. So, he had quite a bit on his plate in college, and I think that the volume of what he has now is certainly manageable, maybe a little bit more. But, he’s a good football player with, as I said, some versatility and ability to do some different things. We’ll continue to try to see where he fits in our defensive scheme and game plan on a weekly basis.”

As the Patriots get set to take on the Las Vegas Raiders, it will be interesting to see if Jennings will have any sort of impact on the game. In what has been a year of youth stepping up defensively for the Patriots, Jennings certainly falls into that category.

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Patriots rookie LBs will play enormous roles, even if those roles are unclear to Bill Belichick

Expect both these rookie LBs to be on the field a lot in 2020.

The New England Patriots will need a pair of rookies to step on defense after the departures of their top veterans.

It’s up to Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche to help replace Dont’a Hightower, an opt-out from COVID-19, and free agency departures Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts. New England picked Uche in the second round out of Michigan and Jennings in the third round out of Alabama. It was clear immediately that the Patriots would try to see if they could do everything: outside linebacker and inside linebacker. That’s a lot of material to cover, so New England started teaching the rookies as soon as they could, according to outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick. He said they’ve made “a ton of progress” in learning both roles.

“Those players do have a good degree of flexibility,” Bill Belichick said Tuesday. “They showed that in college and they’ve shown that here in camp. How it actually plays out, obviously remains to be seen. We’ll have a plan. We’ll have an idea of how we think it will go, or the areas that we want to use them and that may change from week to week and so forth.”

In other words: The Patriots have seen the rookies play up to the team’s high standard of play at every linebacker spot. So long as that good play continues, they’ll keep playing at every spot. If the players need to specialize, that’s what the Patriots will do.

“They’ve been doing everything we ask them to do. We ask a lot of our players to do a lot in terms of versatility and being able to handle multiple roles,” Steve Belichick said Tuesday. “Those guys work hard in the meetings, trying to pick up everything that we’ve put on their plate. … They’ve spent time working outside, working inside, covering, rushing. Everything that we ask our linebackers to do, we’ve put on their plate, and we’ll see what they can handle.”

Hightower, Van Noy and Collins were versatile enough to play all over the defensive front. That kind of experience and versatility should prove hard to replace. But perhaps the Patriots have a rookie group that can help carry the load, even after tremendous turnover at the heart of New England’s defense.

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Alabama football countdown: 33 days until kickoff

We are 33 days from Alabama football kicking off its season on the road against the Missouri Tigers to start a 10-game, SEC only schedule.

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There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding college football over the last couple of weeks, but as of right now, the season still looks like it’s a go for the SEC, ACC and Big 12.

So, what does that mean? It means that we can continue the Countdown to Kickoff en route to the Crimson Tide — and the rest of the SEC — getting things underway on Sept. 26.

With it now being Aug. 24, we are officially 33 days away from the start!

True freshman inside linebacker Jackson Bratton out of Muscle Shoals is now wearing the No. 33 for Alabama after several prominent players have worn it in the past.

For the last several seasons, Anfernee Jennings rocked the number while proving to be one of the more productive edge players in school history. Prior to Jennings, players such as linebacker Trey DePriest and fullback LeRon McClain wore it.

Anfernee Jennings
Nov 23, 2019; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Anfernee Jennings (33) reacts after sacking Western Carolina Catamounts quarterback Tyrie Adams (12) during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

2020 Alabama football schedule

  • Sept. 26 at Missouri (Columbia, Mizz.)
  • Oct. 3 vs. Texas A&M (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 10 at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
  • Oct. 17 vs. Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 24 at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
  • Oct. 31 vs. Miss State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 14 at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
  • No. 21 vs. Kentucky (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 28 vs. Auburn (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Dec. 5 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.)

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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It may be time to temper expectations for the Patriots’ rookies

Bill Belichick: Rookies in deep, turbulent water that’s ‘going to get rougher’

In an ideal world, the New England Patriots’ rookie class will save the day and replace the tremendous losses the team had this offseason.

Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, Stephen Gostkowski, James Develin, Danny Vitale and Patrick Chung are on a list of players who held positions that will be replaced by rookies. This doesn’t include the void that Rob Gronkowski left — providing another hole that Patriots’ rookies will attempt to seal up.

Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene were all selected within the first three rounds of the draft this year with expectations to make an impact in the 2020 season. Kicker Justin Rohrwasser was selected in the fifth round, with expectations to replace one of the league’s greatest kickers ever in Stephen Gostkowski.

The league-high opt-outs the Patriots had recently led to the rising pressure for these rookies — with the most unorthodox training camp in NFL history. Dugger will be expected to replace production that Chung typically provides and even Keene will be prepared to play at tight end and fullback this season.

Bill Belichick spoke to the media on Friday morning and detailed the ‘turbulent water’ these young players will have to tread.

“They’re in deep water and turbulent water, and it’s going to get rougher, just in terms of the volume and the level of competition and becoming a professional athlete and the full day and consecutive days that get strung together with very high demands both physically and mentally and rest and recovery and all that,” Belichick said, transcribed by NFL.com. “I think all the guys are adjusting to it. They’re all working hard at it. It’s a really hard-working group. They haven’t been any problem. They’re just trying to do the best they can. But they’re swimming. They’re in deep water, and their eyes get opened every day as we move up in the process.”

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the elimination of preseason games, along with strenuous training camp protocol. The Patriots have about a month left until their season opener and the rookies are just trying to learn, while acclimating themselves with the team.

“We’re still a long way from anything close to real football, but we’re doing more now than we were before,” Belichick said. “Each day is an acclimation day, an adjustment day for them, and I think they’re just trying to keep their head above water and try to swim or paddle in the right direction knowing that they’re not able to keep up, but they’re doing the best they can, and they’re way ahead of where they were a week ago, two weeks ago, a month ago, two months ago. A lot of progress there, but a long, long way to go. They’re really all in the same boat. It’s a hard-working, conscientious, diligent group that just … they have a lot that they have to absorb. We’re gonna get a much better evaluation of where they are in the next week or 10 days when things start happening on the football field and we start playing some football.”

Belichick noted that Thursday night would’ve been the Patriots’ first preseason game, but instead they’re not even in position to hold a full-speed practice.

First-year players typically go through rookie minicamp, minicamp and OTAs before training camp and four preseason games even arrive. The Patriots have relied heavily on communication through video and and phone calls — leading to a lack of in-person training.

“So the meeting time and the opportunity to communicate information, ask questions and answer questions has been much greater,” Belichick said. “The opportunity to be on the field and work on techniques was challenging. In 2011 … we saw a lot of soft tissue injuries, we saw a lot of injuries early in training camp, so we’re very aware of that experience.

“But with this ramp-up period, I think the players are probably, collectively, I think we have a lot of veteran players who have been through this and are ready to go, but there are other players who are newer either to our team or to the league that have had a ramp-up period that’s been beneficial to them that they need it rather than thrown right into the fire. I think that that part of it has been good. So there are some similarities and there are differences, but in the end I think this is a good plan. I think it’s working. We’ve made progress to this point. We’ve had to deal with a number of changes and adjustments, but it’s probably going to be that way quite a while so I think we’re used to it.”

It’s going to be an odd season for everyone, but the rookies are definitely getting the short end of the stick.

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5 biggest holes on the Patriots’ roster ahead of training camp

The Patriots’ league-leading opt-outs have left the already slim roster with many more questions.

Saying that 2020 will be a difficult year for the New England Patriots is an enormous understatement.

Rewinding to the middle of March — Tom Brady’s departure was the biggest blow the team took in a long time. The Patriots’ Hall of Fame quarterback that thrived for two decades jolted down to Tampa Bay to sign with the Buccaneers. New England’s best replacement option at the time was second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the salary-cap space was nearly nonexistent.

Fast-forwarding to the beginning of August — the quarterback position is an afterthought and the coronavirus pandemic began to really take its toll on the NFL. Cam Newton is the quarterback, which is good, but the team has an league-high eight opt-outs that includes Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung. But hey, at least the Patriots have gained a significant boost in cap space since March.

Here are the five biggest holes the Patriots have ahead of the start of training camp, which is a mess in itself. Hint hint — quarterback didn’t even touch this list.

Linebacker

(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)

The linebacker position is by far the biggest hole on the roster. New England went from one of the best linebacker corps in the league to potentially one of the worst over the offseason. Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts took their talents elsewhere in free agency. Dont’a Hightower opted-out and it’ll leave Bill Belichick with some serious work to put in.

It is important to keep in mind that this is a fluid situation and the Patriots do have cap space to bring in talented players. But, the talent on the roster currently consists of rookies Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, Ja’Whaun Bentley, John Simon, Chase Winovich and Brandon Copeland primarily. Bentley, Simon and Winovich have the most experience with the Patriots’ system and Copeland will bring a solid player experience-wise.

Training camp will tell the tale on which players thrive and claim starting roles, but this group will have to run off the collective unit and not individual stardom.

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Alabama players respond to tweet from USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is disappointed that he won’t get to play Alabama, and a few Tide players had responses.

Alabama was expected to take on the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Tex.) on Sept. 5. Unfortunately, that game will no longer take place after it was announced that Pac-12 would be playing a conference-only schedule.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, a current standout receiver for USC, took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with not getting to play the Crimson Tide.

That tweet got responses from Tide and Trojan fans alike, but it also got the attention of a couple of current — and former — Alabama players as well. First, it was redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Tommy Brown, who will be competing for starting spot this season.

Then, former Alabama outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings jumped into the conversation with a simple, yet common, response.. “Lol.”

It’s unfortunate that this game won’t happen due to the impact of COVID-19 on society, as it seems like both sides were ready to get to kickoff in order to set the tone for 2020 season.

The last time Alabama played USC was back in 2016 when former Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts took over for Blake Barnett early in the game and helped led his team to a dominate 52-6 win over the Trojans.

Unfortunately, it looks like Nick Saban and company will have to wait a bit longer to starting righting the ship after missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since its creation in 2019.

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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How EDGE Anfernee Jennings fits into the Patriots defense

Anfernee Jennings’ versatility and leadership will quickly translate into New England’s defense.

The New England Patriots left the 2020 NFL Draft with much more security at the linebacker position. Bill Belichick grabbed three linebackers to replace the departure of Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts.

Van Noy and Collins were extremely versatile, accounting for 13.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season — while holding their own in coverage. The Patriots drafted Michigan-product Josh Uche in the second round and Alabama-product Anfernee Jennings in the third round. Uche’s ability to rush the passer and play off the ball will likely make him an automatic starter.

Jennings still needs to refine his game slightly, but he has an extremely high ceiling because of his versatility. He’s 6-foot-3, 260 pounds and was known for setting the edge and following through as a tackler with the Crimson Tide. Jennings’ focus wasn’t on getting to the quarterback, but he did a decent job his senior year after recording eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.

Former Crimson Tide linebacker Dont’a Hightower plays a similar game and will quickly become a mentor for Jennings. So, how will Jennings fit into the defense? Belichick talked with him after the draft and briefly broke down the role he’d play.

“I talked to Coach Belichick last night,” Jennings said, via NESN. “He plans on using me kind of the same way that I was used at Alabama — using my versatility, being able to stack it back off the ball and line up on the edge and move around, making the most of wherever he puts me.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper elaborated on Jennings’ strong-suits and how he’ll fit in with the team.

“He will (thrive under Belichick). His connection with Belichick and Saban, every year you see an Alabama player come into the fold, it seems like,” Kiper said. “Smart, he’s very instinctive. He plays within the scheme very well. That’s why you see him not necessarily disrupting every play. That’s not his role on every play. He diagnosis screen passes. You can see him sift through trash and get to the ball carrier. He’s a very slippery player, a very smart player. Whatever he was asked to do within the framework of that defense, he did. He wasn’t always flashy when he needed to be. When he needed to get a sack, he could. He’s an all-around player who was a really good pick for New England.”

It’s too early to say these rookies can replicate the production that Van Noy and Collins had last season, but they both have the ability to quickly come in and make an immediate impact.

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4 things to know about new Patriots’ 3rd-rounder Anfernee Jennings

Get to know Patriots OLB Anfernee Jennings.

The Patriots went back to a familiar place to find the first of their third-round picks in the 2020 draft. New England drafted Alabama linebacker Anfernee Jennings with their No. 87 pick. Once again, Belichick went with a player that he probably received some inside information on from his good friend, Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Jennings played in four years at Alabama after a redshirt freshman season. With the Crimson Tide, the linebacker totaled 193 tackles, 33.5 of them for a loss, and 14.5 sacks.

The newest linebacker joins a group that features newly drafted Josh Uche, as well as Shilique Calhoun, Brandon Copeland, Chase Winovich, and John Simon.

Patriots fans should know these four things about their newest addition to the linebacker core.

Jennings has one Crimson Tide teammate in New England.

Jennings and Damien Harris were both with the Crimson Tide from 2015-2018. While they didn’t play the same side of the ball, it’s still nice to have some level of familiarity in a new organization. It also won’t be a huge jump in coaching discipline from Saban to Belichick. It might even be easier in some aspects.

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Anfernee Jennings had a sense he’d be a Patriot since before the NFL combine

Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings wasn’t caught off guard after being drafted by the team. 

New England Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings wasn’t caught off guard after being drafted by the team.

Jennings was selected with the No. 87 pick and he was the second linebacker the Patriots grabbed in the first three rounds. New England lost Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts — so they quickly replenished a group that needed some work.

Bill Belichick has a very close relationship with Nick Saban, so it’s no surprise that Jennings landed in New England. But, Jennings’ relationship with Patriots assistant coach Vinnie Sunseri tipped him off to the strong possibility he’d land in New England. Sunseri was a graduate assistant at Alabama and told Jennings that he would be a Patriot.

“(Sunseri) told me actually right before we started all the combine and stuff like that, that I was going to be a Patriot,” Jennings said during a conference call. “That being said, I just went about the process and now I’m here and I’m a Patriot. So it’s kinda funny and I look forward to it.”

Jennings is capable of rushing the passer, but his strongest asset is setting the edge and stopping the run. He’ll compliment New England’s other rookie linebacker, Josh Uche, who’ll be more focused on rushing the passer. Jennings spoke to reporters on Saturday and elaborated on how Belihcik will use in the Patriots’ defense.

“I talked to Coach Belichick last night,” Jennings said, transcribed by NESN. “He plans on using me kind of the same way that I was used at Alabama — using my versatility, being able to stack it back off the ball and line up on the edge and move around, making the most of wherever he puts me.”

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2020 NFL Draft: Day 2 recap

Alabama once again showcased their talent as they had 6 players drafted on Friday night.

Day 2 of the NFL Draft featured second and third round draft picks. Alabama once again showcased their talent as they had 6 players drafted on Friday night.

On night one of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night, Alabama had 4 players drafted in round one. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa was drafted by Miami as the 5th overall pick, Jedrick Wills Jr. was drafted by the Cleveland Browns as the 10th overall pick, Henry Ruggs III was drafted as the 12th overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, and Jerry Jeudy was the last Alabama player taken off the board in the first round as the 15th overall pick to the Denver Broncos.

Here are the 6 Alabama players who were drafted in rounds two and three, in order in which they were drafted:

ROUND TWO

Round 2 began with Alabama’s Xavier McKinney taken off the board as the 36th overall draft pick being drafted by New York Giants.

McKinney finished the 2019 season with 95 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions (one of which was returned 81 yards for a TD) 5 pass breakups and 5 QB hurries.

In his career at Alabama, he had 177 tackles, 6 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 5 interceptions, 15 pass deflections and 2 touchdowns.

With the 51st overall pick, the Dallas Cowboys drafted Trevon Diggs .

Diggs finished the 2019 season with 37 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions and a touchdown.

In his career, he had 68 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions and a touchdown.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick.

Hurts finished the 2019 season at Oklahoma with a career high 3,851 yards passing, as well as a career-high 32 passing TDs. Not to mention a career 1,298 yards rushing to go along with yet another career-high 20 rushing touchdowns.

In his college career at both Alabama and Oklahoma, Hurts recorded almost 9,500 passing yards and 80 touchdowns, not to mention almost 3,300 rushing yards to go along with his 43 rushing touchdowns.

Raekwon Davis will be joining fellow former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, Florida. David was drafted by the Miami Dolphins as the 56th overall pick.

In his career at Alabama, he recorded 175 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, 1 interception, and a forced fumble to go along with a fumble recovery.

ROUND THREE

The first Alabama player to be drafted in round three was Terrell Lewis who was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as the 84th overall pick.

In 2019, Lewis recorded 31 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks to go along with a team-high 16 quarterback pressures.

Anfernee Jennings joined the New England Patriots as the 87th overall pick.

In the past two season, Jennings had 133 tackles (25.5 tackles for loss), 13.5 sacks, two interceptions and 16 pass deflections.

The Crimson Tide still has three players to watch over the final day of the draft: safery Jared Mayden, defensive back Shyheim Carter and offensive lineman Matt Womack.

Stay tuned for more NFL draft coverage from the team at Roll Tide Wire, part of USA TODAY Sports!

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