Asking members of the Patriots’ secondary about one another
Loyalty and closeness come first.
Three members of the Patriots’ secondary can play the piano.
Safety Patrick Chung is a master chef.
Cornerback Jonathan Jones is a motorhead.
New England’s defensive backs constitute more than just one of the deepest areas on the depth chart. The group is also one of the tightest knit. A brotherhood, they call it.
Jones told me about Chung’s cooking. He’s had the opportunity to taste some of the meals, from oxtail to Jamaican jerk chicken. Nate Ebner talked about his locker neighbor Jones’s interest in cars, and Stephon Gilmore went on about rookie Joejuan Williams’s aspiration to become YouTube-famous with his piano skills.
There’s a mix of veterans and youngsters, undrafted free agents and first-round selections, but the Patriots’ secondary treats each player like family. Safety Duron Harmon said “every last one of the DBs’’ reached out to him last March, after he made headlines for attempting to bring marijuana into Costa Rica.
“It’s a real brotherhood,’’ Harmon said. “I know a lot of people say it, but it’s literally a brotherhood. Anybody can pick up the phone and ask for something or need something and somebody’s going to be right here.’’
Duron Harmon (21) says the Patriots’ secondary is an especially close-knit supportive group of players.
“There’s a ton of trust,’’ added cornerback Jason McCourty. “On the back end, guys trust guys that they’re going to be where they’re supposed to be. Just being in communication with one another, I think that goes a long way in our relationship on the field and off the field.’’
So, let’s find out more about the defensive backs’ thoughts on one another.
Who’s the best trash talker?
The results were mixed. Gilmore voted for 23-year-old J.C. Jackson, whom he called the “most talkative’’ of the cornerbacks. Captain Devin McCourty voted for Chung; Ebner voted for Devin; Jason voted for the ever-chill Gilmore. Jones voted for Harmon, who certainly didn’t disagree and happily proclaimed himself worthy of the honors.
How about the funniest? Who’s got the best jokes?
“Terrence Brooks,’’ said Williams. “Probably one of the funniest dudes on this team. He has a weird sense of humor. I don’t know if I can explain it, but he’s funny.’’
“Chung,’’ said Gilmore. “He’s like a little kid. He’s thirty-something, but he acts like a kid.’’
Ebner agreed: “Chung. [He’s] childish, but he’s funny.’’
“Obi [Melifonwu] is actually pretty funny now,’’ said Harmon. “He’s coming out of his shell. He’s actually the life of the room right now with his jokes.’’
Harmon called the 25-year-old Melifonwu, who signed with the Patriots last season after spending one season in Oakland, “the little brother of the group.’’ So, does that mean he gets picked on?
“I wouldn’t say really picked on, but we definitely be on him,’’ Harmon said, chuckling. “We be on him. Actually, maybe that’s it. Maybe we’re laughing at him, maybe not with him all the time.’’
Devin, the longest-tenured Patriot out of all the defensive backs, garnered the most votes, including his own.
“I make everybody laugh and I get on everybody’s nerves, too, at the same time,’’ he said. “It’s because I’m funny. They get mad. I get on all of them.’’
Brooks, who signed a two-year contract with the Patriots in March, said Devin often messes with his first name by pronouncing it in a nasal falsetto.
“He’s like, ‘Terrence,’ ’’ Brooks said, scrunching his nose while giving his best imitation. “He gets me hot with that one. But he’s throwing shots at someone always. At any given moment, I feel like he’s got something on you, whether it’s what you’re wearing or what you say.’’
Perhaps Jones hit the nail on the head: “D-Mac thinks he’s funny. I think he picks on people more [than he makes jokes]. But he says something funny every now and then.’’
What about best dressed?
Gilmore was by far the front-runner, earning props for his classy, fitted looks. The 28-year-old described his style as edgy without being too flashy.
“He likes to color match all his stuff,’’ Jones said. “He’s pretty swaggy with it, man. I like it.’’
Other compliments were tossed around, with the McCourty twins earning a shoutout for their bold shoes and Brooks getting one from Harmon for his “metrosexual swag.’’ Williams, drafted 45th overall in April, made sure to note he’ll be in the conversation soon.
“When that check comes, I’m coming, too,’’ he said.
As far as the distinction of worst dressed, Ebner bore the brunt of several digs.
“Terrible suit game,’’ said Devin. “Just terrible. He doesn’t care. Whatever he has, he just throws on. There’s no thought into it.’’
“He’s the worst dresser, for sure,’’ added a laughing Harmon. “He doesn’t care about fashion.’’
Ebner had no interest in defending himself.
“I mean, you’ve got best dressed, you’ve got worst dressed, what about most comfortably dressed?’’ he said. “Because if it was most comfortably dressed, that’s me. I’m not out here to prove anything to anybody. I’m more comfortable than anybody in here.’’
Devin McCourty (32) and his teammates are used to doing a lot of celebrating together.
Come Saturday, the defensive backs will sport their best — or most comfortable — pre-game looks, as the team travels to Miami for its second regular-season game. Once in uniform and on the field Sunday, they’ll likely circle around Devin for an impassioned pump-up speech prior to kickoff.
The huddle brings the group together, usually for no more than a minute, before players scatter to their various posts.
“[Devin] knows the right thing to say at the right time, depending on what we’re going through,’’ Gilmore said. “It just depends on the moment. Preseason, he was talking about taking advantage of the opportunity. Not all of us are going to make the team, but you can make another team. We were put here for a reason.’’
“That always gets me going,’’ echoed Jones. “That always hits home.’’
Editor’s note: The Patriots waived Melifonwu on Monday.
