Bill Belichick calls Patrick Chung one of the best players in the NFL

Getty Images

Most people listing the best players in the NFL would come up with a whole lot of names before they came to Patriots safety Patrick Chung. Bill Belichick would not.

Asked this week about Chung’s versatility and how his presence is helping the Patriots prepare for the Jaguars, Belichick was effusive with his praise.

“Chung, I’ve talked about Chung a lot,” Belichick said. “The guy is a really good football player. He’s one of the best players in the league, one of the best players on our team. He does a lot of things very well and has done them that way for a long time. We’re lucky we have him. He’s an outstanding player in all the things that he does. We put a lot on him, and he always comes through.”

Chung is in the second year of a three-year, $13.15 million contract and is under contract to the Patriots next season at a salary of just $2 million. If he’s one of the best players in the NFL, he may also be the best bargain in the NFL.

54 responses to “Bill Belichick calls Patrick Chung one of the best players in the NFL

  1. Belichick loves the guys who work hard and do their job somewhat under the radar. Guys like Chung, Bolden, and Slater. They make the difference between good teams and great teams.

  2. Chung was frustrating in his first stint with the Pats 09-12 then the year with philly. but when he came back its like everything just clicked mentally for him. hes been great since hes been back. awesome in open field tackles 1v1 and has been outstanding in coverage. deff underrated when compared to McCourty and Harmon

  3. When Bill let Chung walk before the 2013 season, and the Eagles picked him up, I was pretty stoked for my Birds.

    But a cardboard cutout of Patrick Chung in a Patriots uniform could have played better than the real Patrick Chung played in an Eagles uniform. Then he went back to New England and played well again. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that coaching really mattters and that Bill Belichick > than Eagles DC Bill Davis.

  4. I think he’s great for these modern defenses where safeties and linebackers have to be interchangeable.

  5. BB has said many times that just because a guy looks good on another team, it doesn’t mean he’ll fit on your team and what you’re trying to do. Chung in Philly is a good example, he’s a good fit for the Pats, not so much with the Eagles. Greg Spires was a guy who didn’t quite fit in NE, but had a nice career in the NFL in Tampa.

  6. His third act was better than his first two (New England and then Philadelphia). He’s a smarter player the second time around in New England. He has always been a good run stopper. Now, he is half decent against the pass and a great tackler.

  7. bowlregard says:
    January 20, 2018 at 12:23 pm
    You can’t just say he will make 2M next year. You need to amortize the $13.5 over the 3 years of the contract.
    ____________________

    Thank you. NFL contracts are not guaranteed and Chung and his agent must have liked this one because it is not backloaded. He got about 85% of it the first two years. You could also look at it as he was paid a little over $5.5 million million in each of the past two years.

  8. Watch him play than you the doubters will understand.. always around the ball, great tackler, great teammate great attitude..

  9. The Pats 3 man safety rotation would be hard to match by any team in the league. They can all run, tackle and cover. They’re also often on the field at the same time, giving them the versatility to run 8 in the box or standard cover 2, as well as handle those tough TE matchups.

  10. He has proof too. Go watch the highlights of their 2010 game at Miami. Blocked punt, blocked FG that a teammate returned for a TD, and a pick 6. All in the second half.

  11. .
    It’s an absolute necessity for a Patriots secondary player to be a top tier tackler. Chung is excellent in that regard. He often draws their opponents TE in single coverage. He usually is giving up a sizable height / weight advantage, but gets the job done.
    .

  12. If this system is so interchangeable with any player, Brady included(if you ask haters), why don’t the other 31 teams hire advanced mathematics and analysis divisions made from the smartest minds on the planet to decipher the “Patriot System”?

    Love or hate New England, we can all see the statistics show they simply win more than any other team: regular season, postseason, doesn’t matter. If I another owner, I’d hire a 10 man group at 200k annually to just study what they do so we can implement it….

    ….Unless they’re already doing this and getting the same average results…

  13. patsfan4lifesbchamps says:
    January 20, 2018 at 1:44 pm
    One of the best players in the world when playing in the Patriots system

    —-

    It’s magic! The system would make a high school player look good.

    It’s clear to all that you make complete sense…

  14. He wasn’t very good in Philadelphia because they didn’t have a good system. He returned to the greatest system ever devised and flourishes. That says it all.

  15. Patrick Chung IS the weak link in that D and BB knows it.

    Chung sucked in Philly and he should have been exposed more by opponents playing Pats. I hope Jags figure that out and throw air him all day as Chung was horrible when the ball was in the area and late in getting over in coverage.

    Chung can hit but he sucks as a S and he will be exposed there sooner or later. Hopefully this weekend when Pats lose to Jags!

  16. Chung is excellent at tackling in space when a missed tackle could mean ten or twenty more yards and moving the chains.

    Chung can have difficulties covering receivers with length and athleticism on derp patterns.

  17. patsfan4lifesbchamps says:
    January 20, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    One of the best players in the world when playing in the Patriots system.

    —————————————————————————–
    The other 31 teams all have systems and have system quarterbacks.
    Bruce Lee didn’t believe in systems and the Patriots are the only team in the NFL that doesn’t have a system. NFL. The Patriots adapt to their opponents. The Patriots are the Bruce Lee of the NFL.

  18. When the Pats first had him they tried to use him as a free safety / deep cover man. They figured out that he’s great on run coverage and can really lay the smack down on tight ends but he’s not much of a free safety, so they use him and play to his strengths. He’s not quite a linebacker, and not quite a safety but he’s a great tackler and does his job.

  19. PatriotsSystemDynasty says:
    January 20, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    He wasn’t very good in Philadelphia because they didn’t have a good system. He returned to the greatest system ever devised and flourishes. That says it all.

    ————————————————————————
    The Patriots are the only NFL team without a system. That’s why the Patriots win. There are 31 system quarterbacks in the NFL and none of them are named “Brady”.The Patriots do something different to counter each opponent. Bruce Lee didn’t believe in systems and the Patriots are the only team in the NFL that doesn’t have a system. NFL. The Patriots adapt to their opponents. The Patriots are the Bruce Lee of the NFL.

  20. He’s a fool for taking money away from his family by taking such a team friendly deal. This is how the Pat’s are successful, for if they paid players like most NFL teams that not be able to field competitive teams. You won’t see Kraft taking a loss in business. These players need to play hardball with owners.

  21. terripet says:
    January 20, 2018 at 2:20 pm
    Pats safetys are terrible
    ==============================
    terripet… Never missing a Patriots thread. Great attendance and thank you for stopping by.
    How is your team doing lately?

  22. factpurveyor says:
    January 20, 2018 at 5:03 pm

    patsfan4lifesbchamps says:
    January 20, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    One of the best players in the world when playing in the Patriots system.

    —————————————————————————–
    The other 31 teams all have systems and have system quarterbacks.
    Bruce Lee didn’t believe in systems and the Patriots are the only team in the NFL that doesn’t have a system. NFL. The Patriots adapt to their opponents. The Patriots are the Bruce Lee of the NFL.
    ——–
    But Bruce Lee didn’t cheat, or play in the softest division in the NFL, which has no QB’s. That’s the reason NE is successful, they get an annual pass to the playoffs by virtue of their soft division. And Chung can’t cover a speed receiver.

  23. skawh says:
    January 20, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    But Bruce Lee didn’t cheat,

    —————————————————————–
    True but 31 teams definitely cheated.
    We all remember when 31 teams cheated the Patriots by having the clown force Brady to miss 25% of the season while also stealing 2 draft picks from the Patriots. All because there were so many dimwits who are unable to understand 7th grade science.

    The NFL is still hiding the PSI information that was collected during the 2015 NFL season to protect the 31 cheating teams from being exposed.

  24. One more reason to laugh at the trolls who continue believe the “cheating” nonsense. A video on the popular online video site with the following title: “DEFLATE GATE & WHY SCIENCE SAYS THE PATRIOTS DID NOT TAMPER WITH FOOTBALLS”

  25. skawh says:
    January 20, 2018 at 5:38 pm
    That’s the reason NE is successful, they get an annual pass to the playoffs by virtue of their soft division. And Chung can’t cover a speed receiver.
    ________________________________________________

    You need to find some new lies. In the Brady/Belichick era New England has a higher winning % against the AFCN (.832), NFCN (.848) and NFCE (.818) than they do against the AFCE (.792). What division would you rather see them in instead? Chung is a safety, covering speedy receivers isn’t his job. Do you actually watch any football?

  26. skawh says:
    But Bruce Lee didn’t cheat, or play in the softest division in the NFL, which has no QB’s. That’s the reason NE is successful, they get an annual pass to the playoffs by virtue of their soft division. And Chung can’t cover a speed receiver.
    =========================================
    but, but, but … how else can he justify the excellence of these hated Patriots? how else can he live in the pits of misery rooting for his mediocre team?

  27. When will fans of other teams (there are exceptions) admit that BB is uncanny in his ability to marry a player’s strengths with team scheme? He sctually traded a unique physical talent in Collins to the Browns, in part, because Collins relied too much on his talent and not enough on executing the scheme.

    The Steelers love stars. They announce the starters by name before a playoff game while the Patriots still, like they did in the 2001 SB, announce the team as a whole. Rush Limbaugh called it “socialist” or was it “unAmerican”, back then disbelieving anyone could subordinate their ego for the good of the team.

  28. Nice try – no one’s buying it. Trust nothing that comes out of Belichick’s mouth. Can’t wait until he and Brady retire and the Pats become irrelevant again. Maybe the Jags can speed-up that process tomorrow.

  29. mrkbuilders says:
    January 20, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    If this system is so interchangeable with any player, Brady included(if you ask haters), why don’t the other 31 teams hire advanced mathematics and analysis divisions made from the smartest minds on the planet to decipher the “Patriot System”?

    Love or hate New England, we can all see the statistics show they simply win more than any other team: regular season, postseason, doesn’t matter. If I another owner, I’d hire a 10 man group at 200k annually to just study what they do so we can implement it….

    ….Unless they’re already doing this and getting the same average results…
    =================================================================
    its not the team of 10 at $200K each they need to hire .. they just need to hire one BB

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.