Chandler Jones Puts On Odd 'On To Philadelphia' Act After Loss To Denver
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots lost a heartbreaker on Sunday night in Denver, letting a 14-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter before dramatically tying the game at the end of regulation, only to lose in overtime. Along the way, tight end Rob Gronkowski left the field on a cart after suffering a knee injury.
Unquestionably, it was an emotional night for everyone wearing a white jersey in Denver on Sunday night, but after the 30-24 overtime loss, Patriots defensive lineman Chandler Jones was interested only in discussing only one topic: the next opponent.
"I'm only answering questions Philadelphia," Jones said. "I'm not talking about the game. If you guys got questions about Philly, go ahead."
Obviously, the assembled media did not have questions regarding the Philadelphia Eagles at the ready, so Jones was asked why he'd only be talking about the Patriots' next opponent.
"Mark Sanchez is a great quarterback," Jones said. "Chip Kelly runs some good schemes, and we gotta prepare for them."
And why did Jones not want to talk about the overtime loss to Denver?
"Because Philly's a great team and we gotta prepare for them," Jones said.
Eager to understand Jones' motives, a reporter asked if the tactic was merely a way of quickly moving past the loss.
"You know what? Chip Kelly does a lot of different things," Jones replied. "He does stretch zone runs, he passes the ball vertically. So we'll just have to prepare for that."
Perhaps this was Jones' way of biting his tongue about the officiating in the game. Perhaps he was simply trying to follow his coach's lead from last fall, when Bill Belichick was simply "on to Cincinnati." Perhaps he didn't feel much like discussing his first-half interception or any other play that took place in the game. Or maybe he just felt like goofing around.
We may not get the real answer, but we do know this: Chandler Jones is already focused on the Chip Kelly, Mark Sanchez and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
