Tag: Jonathan Jones

ESPN’s Mike Reiss thinks Stephon Gilmore’s holdout will be positive for Patriots

ESPN’s Mike Reiss has a positive hunch about Stephon Gilmore’s future with the Patriots.

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There’s been uncertainty surrounding Stephon Gilmore’s status with the New England Patriots since the end of the 2020 season.

Gilmore, 30, is entering the final year of his five-year contract and is only set to make $7 million. The former Defensive Player of the Year won’t play for that low of a price and he made that clear by sitting out during the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp. Because Gilmore missed minicamp, he was set to be fined $93,085.

He’s also nursing a quad injury that put him out for the remainder of the 2020 season, but the contract issue seems to be the primary focus. ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote a column on Sunday with his thoughts on the topic and he has a positive takeaway.

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore didn’t report to mandatory minicamp, and while some holdouts can become acrimonious, my sense on Gilmore’s mindset is different. He seems to enjoy being a Patriot, is open to sticking around, and this was his least-expensive-but-most-decisive way of sparking more productive contract talks with the team, so he can feel better about being part of New England’s present and future.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler followed up with another promising note for the Patriots.

Gilmore already expressed interest in staying with the Patriots and there’s a solid chance that happens.

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How every former Tiger performed in NFL Week 17

Cam Newton had his best game of the season while several former Tigers get prepared for the NFL playoff.

Despite several scares, the NFL was able to play a full regular season and is now turning to the playoffs.

The season saw several Auburn players have impressive seasons while others struggled. Now some former Tigers will be gearing up for the playoffs and trying to win Super Bowl LV.

Here is how every former Tiger performed in Week 17 of the NFL.

The Patriots didn’t trade Stephon Gilmore at the deadline, and it was the wrong move

Both parties would be better off going forward if they part ways.

As a disclaimer to start this off, the New England Patriots are better off with Stephon Gilmore on the roster. There’s no doubt about the fact that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is an irreplaceable piece for the defense.

But, there are complications that lead to the question: Was the smartest move to trade Gilmore at the Nov. 3 deadline?

As aforementioned, the smartest move at face value is to keep him on the roster. Gilmore has accrued First-Team All-Pro nods and Pro Bowl selections over the past two seasons. He’s undoubtedly the best player on New England’s roster and he gives Bill Belichick the flexibility to run man-heavy schemes.

The complications come with his 30-years of age, the money involved to keep him around and the glaring 2-5 record that’s nearly impossible to overcome.

Beginning with his age, it’s hard to see the Patriots re-sign Gilmore to another long-term contract. The Patriots don’t have a history of doing this and his original five-year, $65 million contract was already a stretch. Gilmore has been an extremely reliable for a cornerback entering his thirties, but that reliability isn’t a guarantee for a player his age.

New England would make a huge mistake by signing him long-term on a deal that goes over two years. There’s no precedence for this and the Patriots already have to worry about his $17 million cap hit he has next season.

That $17 million cap hit is the reason the Patriots will likely let him go this offseason. New England has J.C. Jackson (24), Joejuan Willams (22), Jonathan Jones (27) and up-and-coming corner Myles Bryant (22) — who all have youth on their side. If the Patriots traded Gilmore at the trade deadline, they could’ve potentially snagged a first or second-round pick.

Therefore, they wouldn’t have to deal with the money issue and the flexibility would be there to draft a top cornerback next offseason. Sporting News perfectly breaks down how Gilmore’s contract could affect the Patriots next season.

Gilmore’s base salary for the whole 2020 season is $13 million. He’d have about 9/17ths of that remaining to be paid by a team that would acquire him at the trade deadline, which equates to approximately $6.9 million. In addition, Gilmore is paid about $156K for each game he is active in 2020, which would lead to another nearly $1.5 million paid to Gilmore by an acquiring team if he plays every game the rest of the regular season.

A team that acquires Gilmore would almost certainly keep him on in 2021, but if that team chose to release Gilmore at the start of the next league year, his dead cap number is $7.67 million, almost $10 million in savings from what Gilmore’s cap hit would be on a roster in 2021.

The final aspect is the team’s record. At first, the Patriots were 2-1 with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks that was down to the final play. New England appeared to be rolling and prepared to compete for a playoff run without Tom Brady on the roster. Gilmore was set to the be the defensive anchor, while Cam Newton put a depleted offensive unit on his back.

Fast-forward to now, the Patriots are a two-win team that has less than a five percent chance to win the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins have a 4-3 record and the that’s just within the division the Patriots have dominated so regularly. The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens have more talent than the Patriots could even hope for.

Why keep the league’s best corner on the roster for the rest of the season, when there’s close to no hope for a winning season, or a future contract for him? The smartest move would’ve been to alleviate the cap space and prepare for the 2021 season.

The Patriots couldn’t find a suitor to attain Gilmore, and that’s likely the reason he made it past the trade deadline. Knowing the history of Belichick, the Patriots were likely more active than the public is aware of. If someone put a first-round pick and a defensive player on the table — Belichick would’ve jumped on it.

For the 2020 season, Gilmore will remain a crucial part in walking away with a  somewhat respectable record. For the future, he’ll likely go elsewhere, with his legacy etched into one of the greatest dynasties in the history of pro sports.

Watch the 2 unbelievable INTs that kept Patriots alive vs. Broncos

This was an insane turn of events.

The New England Patriots entered the fourth quarter lifeless against the Denver Broncos. Denver carried an 18-3 lead and momentum was extremely difficult to come by for the Patriots.

They eventually charged down the field and Cam Newton scored a much-needed touchdown with time winding down. Following that touchdown, J.C. Jackson came away the play the Patriots needed — a timely interception. The Patriots scored a field goal and then Jonathan Jones, who had an excellent game, came away with an insane interception.

Drew Lock made big plays throughout the entire game, but he had back-to-back picks that allowed Bill Belichick’s squad back into the game.

https://twitter.com/JamieGatlin1217/status/1317915089324920833?s=20

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Jonathan Jones praises new safeties coach Brian Belichick after his promotion

Jonathan Jones had high praise for Steve Belichick on Wednesday..

Brian Belichick is entering his first season as safeties coach of the New England Patriots in 2020. The safety position has been a family affair for the past two seasons. Brian is replacing his brother Stephen as coach.

Even though he is in his first season as a coach, Brian Belichick has been around the Patriots organization since 2016, when he was named a scouting assistant. Now, he will look to take over a position that features first-round draft pick Kyle Dugger as well as Devin McCourty and Terrence Brooks.

Wednesday, Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones told reporters exactly what Belichick able to bring to the table.

“Knowledge,” Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones said Wednesday in a video conference call. “He’s grown up around the ball. His whole life has been football, so you get a lot of knowledge from him, what he’s learned from being around. He’s been around it so much his entire life. He definitely brings that facet to the game and just another set of eyes on the game.”

It will be intriguing to see how he works with the rookie as well as the veterans at the position. Time will tell if things pan out.

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Intriguing defensive end prospect lists Texas in top five schools

Texas remains in the hunt for three-star defensive end Jonathan Jones out of McKinney, Texas.

Head coach Tom Herman has had great success recently with recruiting prospects out of Dallas,Texas. Continue reading “Intriguing defensive end prospect lists Texas in top five schools”

The 5 most underrated Patriots ahead of the 2020 NFL season

Stars in the making.

The New England Patriots have no shortage of unheralded contributors. During the 2020 offseason, we saw some of those underrated standouts move on to different teams, where they got some overdue credit (in the form of major contracts).

Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Danny Shelton were among those who spun their hard work in New England into a big opportunity with another organization. But there are plenty of leftover contributors who are not getting the love they deserve. These starters or standouts are major contributors, even if they don’t get attention from media members or fans.

Here’s a look at six Patriots whose talents have gone underrated in recent years.

Lawrence Guy, DT

He’s a stud, and Bill Belichick takes every opportunity he can get to make sure everyone knows how much the coach appreciates the defensive tackle. Guy is a versatile lineman who played a number of positions on New England’s defensive front in 2019 but is primarily a space-eating interior player. He finished 2019 with 61 tackles, five for a loss, five quarterback hits, three sacks and an interception in 16 games. That tackle sum had him tied for the third-highest total among Patriots defenders, which is no small accomplishment for a defensive tackle.

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Texas offers 2021 three-star defensive end from McKinney

UT has offered 2021 DE, Jonathan Jones, from McKinney, Texas. The three-star prospect is being heavily recruited, having six Big 12 offers.

Texas has offered 2021 defensive end, Jonathan Jones, from McKinney, Texas. The three-star prospect is being heavily recruited in the conference, having six Big 12 offers.

Continue reading “Texas offers 2021 three-star defensive end from McKinney”

Jonathan Jones explains how he’s ‘conditioned’ by Bill Belichick’s coaching style

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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Six players limited, Shilique Calhoun misses Patriots practice for Week 17

Patriots defensive end Shilique Calhoun missed Thursday’s practice with an illness.

The New England Patriots are fairly healthy after 16 weeks of football.

New England plays the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and only one player missed practice on Thursday, with six players limited. Shilique Calhoun was the lone absent player and he was out with an illness. Calhoun started his first NFL game this year and he’s played a career-high 14 games this season. He’s made an impact as a pass rusher and in the special teams unit.

The six limited players included Julian Edelman (knee/shoulder), Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee), Marcus Cannon (ankle), Jamie Collins (shoulder), Jonathan Jones (groin) and Jason McCourty (groin). The three most important players on that list included Cannon, Edelman and Collins.

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