It was right on the wall at Gillette Stadium for every Patriots player to see before he left the facility. It was a sign which read:
When you leave here...
Don't believe or fuel the hype
Manage Expectations
Ignore the noise
Speak for yourself
Chandler Jones is not in Foxboro anymore.
The former Patriots defensive end, shipped to Arizona in the offseason, is being talked up mightily by some of his high-profile Cardinals teammates.
Talking about Jones’ potential, cornerback Patrick Peterson said, “He has that potential to be a 20-plus sack guy. … He’s in a contract year, too, so I know he’s going to be even that much hungrier.”
Defensive back Tyrann Mathieu chimed in as well using the NFC West as a reason Jones might light it up. “In this division, yeah, he can get 20 sacks,” Mathieu said. “In this division, they rely on their quarterbacks to make plays – i.e. San Francisco and Seattle. I just figure it like this: If [Dwight] Freeney had eight sacks in a backup role, Chandler should probably get 20 in a starting role.”
New England Patriots
Jones was on a tear in 2015 with 10.5 sacks by mid-November but he finished with 12.5. He’s averaged nine sacks per season since he’s been in the league but his job description in New England was a little more involved than simply being a guided missile aimed at the quarterback.
I spoke with Cardinals coach Bruce Arians at the NFL’s Annual Meeting back in March and he indicated Jones’ role would be to get after the quarterback.
“He’s everything you thought he was,” Arians said on Sunday. “I’m glad he’s on our team right now, man. I think he’s going to have a great year.”