Bill Belichick says he's happy to have Patrick Chung back
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| Photo via NESN.com |
"Pat's been good for us," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. "He's contributed on all four downs. He's obviously familiar with our system, we're familiar with him. I'm glad that we were able to get him back on the team this year.
"He's contributed well on first down, third down, fourth down. Pat's pretty much the same player he was when he was here. He's in great condition. He's smart. He's tough. He's a very good tackler, and he has versatility. He can play in a lot of different situations."
True, Chung is familiar with the Patriots' system, having spent time in it from 2009 until 2012. But Chung never really lived up to his potential in his first stint in New England, which is why his signing this past offseason was maligned.
This time around, however, Chung is playing a role that he is more comfortable with - lining up near the line of scrimmage. He has been brilliant as a run-stopper and in short passing situations. He was always best known for being a very good open-field tackler, and he's getting more of an opportunity to do that.
Chung is only 27 years old, so he still has some good years ahead of him if he continues on the path he's currently on. It shows in the number of snaps he's taken each week in the regular season.
From Phil Perry of CSNNE.com:
Though Chung has been removed from games at times in sub-defense situations -- Duron Harmon has seen some of those second-safety snaps -- his snap percentage went up in significantly from Week 2 (37-of-68 snaps, 54 percent) to Week 3 (44-of-60 snaps, 73 percent). In Week 1 he was used in 47-of-74 snaps (63 percent).
Those numbers speak to how much Belichick values Chung and how far Chung has come. Chung has also been used on special teams during the season, making him even more valuable to the team.
What do you think of Patrick Chung's impact on the Patriots this season? Tweet me your thoughts - @JesseGaunce
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