Patriots Vs. Cowboys: Hicks, Thornton Work While Hardy Speaks
By Gregory Hunt
The 3-0 New England Patriots hope to continue their winning ways this Sunday afternoon when they travel to AT&T Stadium to face the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys. New England will be taking along a couple of beefy defensive tackles it recently added to its roster, while Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be keeping an eye out for Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy.
Patriots decide to go big against Dallas
In the past week, in an apparent effort to beef up their size along the defensive line, the Patriots have added to their active roster 6-foot-5, 324-pound Akiem Hicks and 6-foot-3, 315-pound Khyri Thornton. Hicks was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Saints, while Thornton, who previously played for the Green Bay Packers, was activated from the practice squad.
Hicks, who said Monday that he has experienced "bunches of fun" since arriving in New England last week, was praised for his versatility by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during his weekly conference call Monday.
"He played some different spots at New Orleans, from anywhere from the center out to the five-technique," said Belichick. "So we'll see how that goes here. But, big guy, physical player. We got a good look at him down there (during joint practices with the Saints during training camp) and thought that he did some good things. So we'll just put him into it here and see how it goes."
Regarding Thornton, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is looking forward to seeing him play on the interior line.
"He's certainly shown some ability," said Patricia on Tuesday. "He's an athletic guy. He's got some good length to him, some good power. (He's) a guy that can play the way we want him to play inside."
The New England defense is currently ranked 23rd in the NFL against the run by giving up 117 rushing yards per game. Thornton thinks he can help in this regard.
"I think my strengths are playing the run, being physical, power," Thornton said. "I go out here and our coach (defensive line coach Brendan Daly), he trains me every day and gasses me. I go out there and hit the sled and work on my hands before practice and I'm punching it after practice. He demands it out of me to hit the sled and hit the weight room."
Hardy likes Bündchen, but Brady doesn't care
Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy made headlines this week by talking to the media about not only Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, but also about Brady's wife, Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen.
"I love seeing Tom Brady, he's cool as crap," said Hardy on Tuesday. "Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game, all her friends come to the game. One of my favorite games of the year, guys."
Hardy, who played five seasons for the Carolina Panthers before joining the Cowboys this year as a free agent, is returning to action this weekend after serving a four-game suspension due to a violation of the NFL's policy on domestic violence. In 2014, Hardy was accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend and making threats against her, but the charges were dropped after the alleged victim failed to appear in court to testify at Hardy's trial.
Brady was unconcerned when asked about Hardy's comments during a brief press conference on Wednesday.
"I'm just getting ready to play," said Brady. "I'm focused on my job. He's a great player. It takes a lot of different things to handle a guy like that. He's been a great player since he's been in the league. We're going to have to prepare for him and be ready for all the different types of moves that he's got. I don't really care about his personal feelings."
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.
