Jordan Richards Sounding Like A Perfect Patriot As He Enters Year Two
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- One year after missing much of the Patriots' offseason minicamps and OTAs due to Stanford's late graduation date, Jordan Richards has had his first full offseason to prepare himself for 2016 as the second-year safety looks to carve out a bigger role in the Patriots defense - and perhaps flash some promise as a future anchor of the secondary.
Richards did not wow NFL Draft scouts with his physical attributes, but the Stanford grad's off-the-charts football I.Q. and work ethic alone were enough to earn him a second-round selection from the Patriots. And you know Bill Belichick loves smart, hard-working players and often values them over outstanding talents. You can tell he loves Richards from the way he described him to reporters on Thursday at Patriots training camp.
"[Richards] had a really good offseason and he's been on the field," said Belichick. "He doesn't miss anything, he's a durable kid that's smart, really pays attention, just gets better every day. I think he's taken some good steps. Again, it's a very competitive position there, but he's definitely gotten better."
Speaking of which, Belichick is right about the competition at the safety position. Devin McCourty is the cornerstone, while Pat Chung has enjoyed a career renaissance since returning to New England and 2013 third-round pick Duron Harmon continues to make occasional contributions and avoid the glaring mistakes the Patriots saw out of their safeties for several years.
Richards already sounds like a perfect Belichick guy - even when he has a good day, he's wondering how to improve.
"You do your best, then you check the film and see, 'How can I get better?'" he told reporters after practice on Thursday. "'Even on incomplete balls or balls we may pick off, how can I get better? How can I move my feet better? How can I use my hands, my leverage?'
"That's all that matters. We're not going to play against these guys," Richards added when asked about practicing against the potent Patriots offense. "Last I checked the Patriots aren't on our schedule, so it's whatever we can do to compete and get better individually and as a group, so we can take it to the field come the season."
Richards isn't just working hard to improve himself - he sounds as willing to take coaching from Belichick and his staff as much as any player you'll hear.
"When coach says 'Go here,' I go. When he says 'Jump,' I say 'How high?'" he said.
Richards is making the most of his full offseason, an opportunity he didn't have as a senior at Stanford. He continued delivering Belichickian musings that already have him sounding like the heir apparent to team captain Devin McCourty.
"It definitely helped being back for a full time this year, but there's definitely things I could have done better last year," said Richards. "So I'm just trying to, each and every day as I go, learn to make the best decisions on and off the field with my study habits, with my recovery, and all that stuff so I can be the best football player I can be."
If Richards can represent an improvement over even the third-string safety spot, he could be a boon for the back end of the Patriots secondary. With McCourty's cap hit set to hit $10 million next season and only go up from there, I wouldn't be surprised if Belichick and the Patriots look to move on from his contract before it runs out. That would ultimately depend on Richards' development.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
