PHOTO: Winslow Towson/AP Photos
When Matt Judon got a boatload of money in the offseason, Patriots fans were skeptical of a former Raven joining the organization. After all, the Ravens will forever be hated in these parts for kicking off Deflategate and despite Judon’s fairly well known reputation for being an impact guy on the field, surely that Ravens stench would infect the locker room at Gillette.
Instead, it’s been the complete opposite. Judon has been an absolute force on defense with 9.5 sacks and he’s also become a friend of the media for his utmost honesty and infectious personality. Judon has become one of those pillars of the locker room that every successful Patriots team over the last 20 years has seemed to have.
Surprisingly, Judon has’t had any issues making his voice heard with the coaching staff too. You would think that a guy just coming into the organization may keep quiet when it comes to pushing back on coaches or questioning things whenever he deems necessary since it’s Bill’s world and every player on the team is just living in it. That’s not the case with Judon though, his voice has been heard loud and clear and it’s been a big reason why this defense has turned things around since the debacle against Dallas.
“He makes things easier and he challenges me, which I appreciate that stuff,” defensive coordinator Steve Belichick said when I asked him how much easier Judon makes his job. “I like to be challenged, I like to make myself better and he sees the game his own way just like every player does.
“I’ve been around some of the other guys who have been in the building a little longer than him, but he sees the game his own way and he makes my job easier and also challenges me to see it a different way and adjust certain things to…not to how he sees it, but he points something out and then we adjust it to the positive points he’s made.”
The trust of both Belichick’s to listen to Judon and adjust things based on what he’s seeing is somewhat stunning given the fact it’s his first year in this defense. On the other side of that, it’s also showing a fairly surprising willingness from Bill Belichick and his staff to acquiesce to a new guy for the betterment of the team. If that doesn’t scream trust, then I don’t know what else would.
“He sees something that works and so you figure out how can we adjust something to tie everybody else in together,” explained Steve Belichick.
None of this is to say that Judon is freelancing or being a menace with the coaching staff. It’s the opposite actually. Judon’s ability to not only learn this defense, but now add to it and help the coaches adjust on the fly has made him well worth all the money he received in free agency. Judon is a keeper and aside from being a wrecking ball on the field he’s also become another set of eyes and ears for the coaching staff, something they desperately lacked a year ago.
“He’s just one of 11 guys, there’s 10 other guys out there on the field, he’s just one piece of the puzzle but how he sees it and the perspective he has is really good,” Steve Belichick added. “I really enjoy (coaching him) it’s all positive.”