Tag: jahlani tavai

Jim Nantz extends Sunday’s announcer/interception curse

Announcers Jim Nantz and Spero Dedes created interceptions on Sunday with the sheer power of their words. If you don’t believe us, just watch.

At least two times on Sunday, announcers were directly responsible for interceptions.

You may think that’s facetious, but we don’t. We have seen more than enough no-hitters broken up as a result of blabbermouth people in the booth talking about it just to be defiant, and football announcers should know better than to ever say that Team X hasn’t thrown an interception, or Team X doesn’t yet have an interception. Because we ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, DON’T WE?

First, veteran announcer Spero Dedes apparently forgot himself in this regard. Albert was calling Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and with 4:50 left in the first half, Dedes happened to mention that Minshew hadn’t thrown a pick all season long.

See if you can guess what happened next.

I mean… we’re talking MAYBE five seconds between the installation of the Announcer Curse, and the Inevitable Result. Ouch.

Then, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were calling the game between the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders, and Nantz happened to mention that the Patriots don’t have an interception yet among the players in uniform on the field. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, was the only Patriots defender with an interception this season.

Of course, that changed right after Nantz said it. Defensive back Jabrill Peppers put a serious hit on receiver Davante Adams, and the ball flew up into the hands of linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

When will these guys learn? Actions have consequences, people.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

These were the Patriots’ top-10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Defense is about the only hope the New England Patriots have left this season, and that couldn’t have been more evident than Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It was another afternoon of horrific turnovers for the offense with one being a pick-six after a poor throwing decision from quarterback Mac Jones. The Saints dominated the battle of field position and time of possession by a 39:34-20:26 margin.

The defense didn’t really have much of a chance in the game.

Keep in mind, it’s also a defense that lost two of its best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, to injuries in the previous week. The good news is the unit continued to fight valiantly, even when clearly facing an uphill battle.

There was still tremendous effort on display for a team that currently looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Patriots, defensive effort alone doesn’t win football games. At some point, the offense has to find ways to execute and put points on the board.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players from Sunday’s game, per Pro Football Focus grades.

First Patriots defensive player comments on return of J.C. Jackson

Players are excited to see J.C. Jackson back in a Patriots uniform

New England Patriots players are beginning to weigh in on the return of cornerback J.C. Jackson, following Wednesday’s shocking trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai was the first to share his thoughts on the signing.

Tavai was a teammate of Jackson’s in the 2021 season, the last year of Jackson’s first stint with the team. Jackson performed at a high level that year, appearing  in all 17 games and tallying 44 tackles and eight interceptions. He also notched a career-high 23 pass deflections and earned his first All-Pro nod.

Now, Jackson will join a solid corner group that includes the likes of Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Jack Jones. He could shoot to the top of the depth chart as the only healthy cornerback on that list.

“I’m excited to see him back in a Patriot uniform,” said Tavai.

It will be interesting to see if the Patriots can get Jackson back to the form he was at in his first stint in New England. A rejuvenated Jackson could do wonders for a reeling Patriots secondary.

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Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 4, per PFF grades

Ranking the Patriots’ defensive players with the top-10 PFF grades in Week 4

The New England Patriots defense was put in an impossible position in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Not only was the unit battered with injuries, but it was handcuffed to an offense that turned the ball over three times and consistently put them in bad field position.

It was in no way a great performance for the defense, but they also didn’t look nearly as bad as the 38-3 score indicates. In fact, it’s surprising the score didn’t get even worse with the offense giving up two defensive touchdowns to the Cowboys.

The defense also lost two of their best players with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon both going down with injuries. They’ll have their work cut out for them when attempting to bounce back in Week 5 against the visiting New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades, in the loss to Dallas.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 3, per PFF grades

Here are PFF’s highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 3.

Another defensive masterclass for the New England Patriots earned the team their first 2023 regular season win on Sunday. They pummeled the New York Jets offense (as is usually the case) in a 15-10 road victory.

Three games into the season and it’s already clear that the Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league. Keep in mind, this has been a team playing with only one of their starting cornerbacks. Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones have all been out with injuries.

That has left the bulk of the work to rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. Gonzalez’s sudden emergence into one of the league’s top corners has obviously been a huge help, along with the pressure the Patriots have been able to get up front.

It was like a full-on WWE session in the Jets’ offensive backfield with quarterback Zach Wilson getting body-slammed and rag-dolled by Patriots defenders through four quarters.

Today, we’re ranking the top-10 Patriots defenders in Week 3 by their Pro Football Focus grades. It’s important to note that we haven’t taken snap count into consideration for this particular list.

So while a player like linebacker Matthew Judon was the obvious MVP of this game, he wasn’t given a top-10 PFF grade.

48 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 48 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 48 jersey number

Another week is in the rearview, and the New England Patriots are now officially 48 days from the start of their 2023 regular season opener.

So we’re continuing our ongoing countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn a No. 48 jersey.

The number currently belongs to rising linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who started to emerge as a real difference-maker for the team last season. That effort earned the former second-round draft pick a two-year contract extension last year.

Former Patriots linebacker Harvey Langi wore No. 48 before Tavai took up the mantle in 2021. There have been a total of 14 players that have ever worn the number throughout franchise history.

Here’s a full list of those players (via Pro Football Reference)

Newly-signed UDFA Justus Tavai has family ties with Patriots

Rookie DT Justus Tavai is joining his brother, Jahlani Tavai, in New England.

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The New England Patriots have reportedly signed undrafted defensive lineman Justus Tavai, according to Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports.

Justus is the younger brother of Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who has helped build a successful career with the Patriots.

Justus recorded 34 tackles, five tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception in 11 games for San Diego State in the 2022 season. This move gives New England defensive line depth and also allows them to fill out the 90-man roster.

The position is of course headlined by the likes of Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux. However, this gives the organization another opportunity for production at the position.

It will be interesting to see if Justus Tavai keeps New England’s streak going, as they have had one undrafted free agent make the roster each year since 2004.

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Patriots 2022 season awards: MVP, most improved and rookie of the year

Here are the 2022 regular season awards for the Patriots.

A disappointing end to the New England Patriots’ season has everyone in the building ready to turn the page to 2023.

They failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, while watching their two division rivals, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, play in their stead.

Although the season didn’t go as expected due to offensive struggles and inconsistency with player performances, there were some true bright spots for the Patriots that offer at least some hope for the foreseeable future.

Here are the regular season award winners for New England in 2022.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 16, according to PFF

Here are the top 10 best defensive grades for the Patriots in Week 16.

Defense doesn’t always win championships, especially if the offense continues to get in its own way. Such has been the case for the New England Patriots this season.

Nothing changed in the Week 16 matchup with a Cincinnati Bengals team that was believed to be the hottest team in football headed into Gillette Stadium.

Yet, the Patriots defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, on quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ prolific offense, along with holding them scoreless for the entire second half.

Of course, none of it mattered in the end as the game ended on a fourth-quarter turnover from running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the red zone. Pro Football Focus graded all of the players on the defensive side of the ball for the Patriots in the Christmas Eve loss to Cincinnati.

Here are the top-10 graded players.

Bill Belichick confirms contract extension for Patriots linebacker

Bill Belichick confirmed Patriots’ contract extension for veteran linebacker.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed the team had moved to extend linebacker Jahlani Tavai to a two-year deal at Tuesday’s press conference.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, it’s a $4.4 million extension that’ll keep the surging veteran defensive playmaker under contract as the team continues to lean on a young foundation for the future.

Tavai, 26, is well on his way to having a career-season with 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks after 11 games and seven starts. His versatility as a linebacker has been his greatest attribute to the unit. No one loves versatile playmakers as much as Belichick, and it likely factored into his decision to strike up a deal.

Locking up Tavai for two additional seasons takes care of one of the Patriots’ pending free agents in 2023. Some tough moves lie ahead at the end of the year, but the decision to jump on the Tavai train at that contract cost was clearly a no-brainer for Belichick and the Patriots.

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