Belichick Loves His Homegrown Pro Bowl Patriots
By Gregory Hunt
The New England Patriots will look to clinch home field advantage for the AFC playoffs when they face the New York Jets Sunday at MetLife Stadium. At 12-2, the Patriots are currently one game ahead of the 11-3 Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC, and two games ahead of the 10-4 Denver Broncos.
Belichick proud of the team's seven Pro Bowl selections
Seven members of the New England Patriots were named to the Pro Bowl by the NFL on Monday, and head coach Bill Belichick was especially proud to point out that all seven of the players were lifetime Patriots that were either drafted by the organization or signed as an undrafted free agent.
"I'm proud of the fact that all seven of those players are homegrown," said Belichick on Wednesday. "They all came in as Patriots, spent their whole career as Patriots, developed as Patriots one way or another. I think there is something to be said for that."
The players selected are:
- Tom Brady, quarterback (sixth round, 2001)
- Stephen Gostkowski, kicker (fourth round, 2006)
- Matthew Slater, special teams (fifth round 2008)
- Rob Gronkowski, tight end (second round, 2010)
- Chandler Jones, defensive end (first round, 2012)
- Jamie Collins, linebacker (second round, 2013)
- Malcolm Butler, cornerback (undrafted, 2014)
Belichick gave special praise to Butler, who went unnoticed by most NFL teams while playing his college football at Division II West Alabama. He played 11 regular season games for the Patriots as a rookie in 2014, then he became the hero of Super Bowl XLIX when his fourth-quarter interception at the goal line preserved a victory over the Seattle Seahawks. This season, his first as an every-week starter, he became the player usually assigned to cover the opponent's best wide receiver.
"Malcolm has come a long way on and off the field, as a professional, as a professional football player," said Belichick. "He's humble, works hard, tries to get better, makes mistakes -- there are a lot of things he can do better -- but he works hard to get them better and he corrects them, and I think everybody that's on our team or around our team respects that."
Belichick also noted that this was the fifth Pro Bowl selection for Slater, which matches the total of his Pro Football Hall of Fame father, Jackie Slater, who was an offensive tackle for the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams from 1976-1995.
The Pro Bowl is scheduled for January 31 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. This game takes place the weekend between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, so if the Patriots advance to Super Bowl 50, none of their players will play in the Pro Bowl.
Stephen Jackson joins the Patriots
Thanks to the loss of several running backs to season-ending injuries, the Patriots signed veteran running Stephen Jackson to a contract on Tuesday. He took part in his first outdoor practice with the team on Wednesday, and he expressed his joy about his new job afterward.
"I'm excited. I feel I got a Christmas gift," said the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Jackson. "I'm just looking forward to continuing to get better, and continue to learn the way of the Patriots."
The 32-year-old Jackson has played 11 years in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams (2004-2012) and the Atlanta Falcons (2013-2014). He had eight consecutive seasons of rushing for 1,000 yards or more from 2005-2011. He ranks 18th on the all-time NFL rushing list with 11,388 yards.
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
