Chris Long Has An Interesting Observation On Matthew Judon's Role With Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Matthew Judon added another sack to his resume on Monday night, bringing his season total to 12.5 in his first year with the Patriots.
The free-agent signing has been a massive hit for Bill Belichick, whose defense leads the NFL in points allowed while ranking third in yards allowed. That has, obviously, been a group effort, but Judon's impact has been immense.
Judon's been so good, in fact, that it appears as though he has a bit of a longer leash than other Patriots pass rushers have been given.
Chris Long, who spent one season with New England and won a Super Bowl, made a note about that on his recent podcast. While interviewing Kyle Van Noy and talking about Judon, Long noted that Judon has been allowed to take some aggressive paths to quarterbacks, even if that's meant taking a risk by giving up the edge.
"The one thing I was surprised about is that dude, he gets carte blanche to run the hoop at nine, 10 yards, doesn't he?" Long asked Van Noy.
Van Noy responded like a proper Patriot: "No comment."
The video playing during Long's comment showed Judon sacking Ryan Tannehill in Week 12, a play where Judon's rush took him almost 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage before bursting upfield to take down Tannehill from behind.
.@man_dammn has been a terror all season for the @Patriots.
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) December 9, 2021
Kyle talks about the importance of getting into a rhythm as a pass rusher and the key to Matthew's success this season. @JOEL9ONE | @KVN_03 | @WynnBET pic.twitter.com/2bHj2chUpi
It's not surprising that Long picked up on this aspect of Judon's game, as Long's job with New England was more about setting and holding the edge than it was about getting to the quarterback. As a result, Long registered just four sacks in his lone season with New England, his lowest total in any full season since his rookie year.
After winning Super Bowl LI, Long left the Patriots via free agency. And though he didn't express any bitterness, he said he was simply looking to "do what I do best" with a new role on a new team.
Judon, obviously, has had a little bit more freedom. Thus far, the results are speaking for themselves.