I’ve been here for going on five years. I’m conditioned to just know every year is a new year, every team is a new team.
Any player who’s spent time under Bill Belichick knows what to expect.
Cornerback Jonathan Jones is heading into his fifth year with the New England Patriots and knows the program — no matter what the outside noise is. Whether it’s adjusting to a tough schedule or the absence of Tom Brady, it’s back to the regularly scheduled program.
Jones spoke Tuesday with reporters on a video conference call and reacted like any player would under Belichick while getting asked about the difficulty of the schedule.
“First of all, I’d say I guess I’m conditioned by Bill [Belichick],” Jones said. “I’ve been here for going on five years. I’m conditioned to just know every year is a new year, every team is a new team. Everybody has changes and their winning percentages from last year kind of doesn’t matter. You know, teams will go 0-6 to start and then pick up better. So, just taking it one day at a time. I think the first thing we have to do is get in training camp and figure out who we are as a team. That’s where it’s really going to start. And then, like I said, teams evolve as the season goes on, as every year. But we have to figure out who we are first. The other teams really don’t matter at this point.”
Having a high level of communication will be the most important tool for Jones and the cornerback room amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think that will be extremely advantageous for us, if we use it to that advantage – to continue to get on our communications, to stay on the same page,” Jones continued. “I know we use the word communication over and over, because in football that’s so key to make sure you get 11 guys to see the same picture at the same time. So, in the back end, just having those guys who have seen the same thing over and over, and there’s subtle communication between each other that we’ve grown an understanding. So, just getting back to that once we get on the field, I think we’ll be a step ahead. But, like I said, we have to continue with that with these meetings to just kind of refresh that.”
The Patriots will enter a new era without Brady and have a lot of adjustments to make this offseason. But, with Belichick running the show, they’ll deal with it like any other season.
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