Jack Jones turned heads not only with his performance Sunday vs. the Green Bay Packers, but also with his comments afterward.
The New England Patriots' rookie cornerback had a simple yet controversial message after his pick-six against Aaron Rodgers.
“Personally, I feel like it’s disrespectful to throw an out route on me," he said.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Cassel: Inside Zappe's mindset and expectations for Patriots QB
That comment didn't sit well with some critics, including Hall-of-Fame Patriots cornerback Ty Law. The three-time Super Bowl champion had plenty to say about it during his recent appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."
"I love the confidence if you can go out there and back it up. But from what I’ve seen, you don’t know situational football,” Law said Tuesday. "I don’t know what’s going on with that defense, but it’s pitch-and-catch. It’s third-and-short, they need a first down. It’s Aaron Rodgers over there, it’s third down, it’s five yards to go. Why are you seven, eight, nine yards off? That’s pitch-and-catch. You don’t need to run. That’s disrespectful by doing that to your defense -- no one is playing and challenging the receivers.
"You make a couple plays, you get an interception, but to say something like that, you’ve got to have some swag, and go out there and make some plays. I don’t think anybody in that secondary, especially a rookie, can say something like that. You ain’t making enough plays to say something like that. Shut up."
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Jones has heard the criticism loud and clear. He shared his side in a 1-on-1 with our Phil Perry on the latest Next Pats Podcast.
Next Pats Podcast: Bill Belichick did it again: Jack Jones the latest STEAL at cornerback for Patriots | Listen & Follow | Watch on YouTube
"I heard a little bit of backlash about that," Jones told Perry. "But man, honestly I don't think you can change how I feel because that's how I've been feeling since I was a kid. It's kind of like, you can look at it as a rebound. If the basket is here, you're there, and I'm here, and every time I'm grabbing a rebound over your head, it's like, what are you doing? You're not doing your job.
"So it's just like, more so I don't want to let that rebound go over my head. If the rebound is in front of me, it's like OK, I understand I've got to find a way to put myself in position and get in-between the ball and the receiver. But an out route, I'm out there so there's no way. I don't want to sound crazy or sound cocky or anything like that, but you understand what I'm saying? There's no way I should be giving up an out route."
Also in the new episode: Reacting to Jack Jones’ impressive performance vs. the Packers and recapping his road to the Patriots. Perry chats with Devin McCourty in another exclusive 1-on-1 to get his thoughts on Jack Jones’ development this summer and why it’s been “fun” for him to move into a mentorship role in recent seasons And lastly, Perry opens up the mailbag to answer your questions!
Check out the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch it on YouTube below: