FOXBORO -- Jon Bostic sat at a locker stall inside the Patriots locker room with his suitcase by his side and no name plate over his head. He was part of the team, traded to New England from Chicago in exchange for a sixth-round pick, but still very much a newcomer.
"Trying to get settled," he said with a smile. "Got in last night. Pretty much woke up and came right over. I know a couple people here so it hasn't been too bad. It's a transition. Gotta get through it. It's a business. Can't be surprised by it."
The third-year linebacker, a former teammate of Dominique Easley's at the University of Florida, joins a positional group that includes Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower, Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Freeny and Dekoda Watson. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Patriots still needed to make a roster move to clear space for Bostic.
Here are some of the highlights of my conversation with the player selected two spots before Collins in the 2013 draft . . .
On the injury issues that plagued him last season and into this offseason: "It was more of an alignment issue that I was dealing with. It was coming from my feet. One thing was just off and it was just setting some other stuff off. I couldn't really miss any time at the time. We couldn't have any time for anybody to be hurt. We had too many guys out. We were too young, and so I just kind of kept playing through it. During the offseason was the time to sit back and actually find out what it was and where it was coming from."
On why he hasn't played this season: "Me going down with the ankle in the third game, the third preseason game, that was really the most of it. That was just something separate [from the alignment issue]. Standing around the pile, it was kind of a freak accident. But, hey, it happens. It's football. You're going to get hurt. You're going to get dings. You just get better and get back out there."
On if the changing defense in Chicago, from a 4-3 to a 3-4, changed his role there: "Didn't change my job at all. Just took off one defensive lineman. Took one defensive lineman off the field, put another linebacker out there or defensive end out there. To be honest, a lot of people make a big deal out of 3-4 and 4-3. To me, it's the same thing. Just maybe one d-lineman standing up and looking at the quarterback that way as opposed to a three or four-point stance."
On if he had any contact with the Patriots before the 2013 draft: "A little bit. Obviously we knew he definitely liked Florida guys. It showed in his history of drafting them, being there and what not. He came down, worked us out, a couple of us. It was a fun workout. We went after it. I'd definitely say it was our hardest workout. During that time of the year, you're mostly training technique stuff. You're not really in shape for anything. They test all that stuff. It was fun though. It was one of the last times you're able to be out on the field with teammates having fun with that specific group that you went to battle with every Saturday. We enjoyed it that way."
Who else was at the workout: "[Vikings defensive tackle] Sharrif [Floyd] was there. [Colts defensive end] Earl [Okine] was there. [Jaguars defensive back] Josh Evans was there. [Dolphins linebacker] Jelani [Jenkins]. [Broncos linebacker] Lerentee McCray was out there. [Ravens safety] Matt Elam was out there."
On if Belichick was at the workout: "He ran the whole thing. [Patriots director of player personnel] Nick [Caserio] was down there as well. It was a good workout. We had fun."
On how he sees himself fitting in in New England: "Just do whatever I'm asked. I've always done that going all the way back to Little League. Just do whatever I'm asked. Go out, do it to the best of your abilities, do it as your coached and be successful."
On his special teams experience with the Bears: "I did everything. The big four. You may not be up on all four every week, but depending on matchups and whatnot, they may say, 'Hey we might need you this week,' or, 'So and so is down and you might be the next best guy to plug in here so we don't have to put a young guy in.' But it's football. Regardless, whether it's special teams or defense, both snaps mean something. You gotta go out there, play and compete."
On what it's like to go from the winless Bears to the 3-0 Patriots: "I definitely like it. We're not paid to lose. We're paid to win. It's a lot more fun when you win. For us it's about taking it day by day. It's not going to be an easy job. There's a lot of carryover from [former Florida coach] Urban Meyer, carryover from [Will] Muschamp philosophy-wise. A lot of what I'm used to structure wise as well. I think it'll be good for me."
On what he thought about the Patriots after the Bears lost 51-23 in Gillette Stadium last year: "Definitely one of our games we weren't too proud of, but it happens. Some weeks, teams just don't show up. We didn't play well. The Patriots did. I was [injured] so just being able to watch our defense, we had a lot of young guys out there, and just watching a different side and seeing players you hadn't seen before -- maybe you've seen them in college -- we were impressed. On our side in Chicago, it wasn't one of our proudest moments."