Matt Judon Explains What He Means When He Says Patriots Let Him Be Matt Judon
FOXBORO (CBS) -- In signing Matt Judon over the offseason, the Patriots brought in an elite pass rusher to help lead the defense. It also added an extremely unique personality to the locker room.
For Judon, his marriage with the Patriots is a match made in heaven. On numerous occasions since joining the team, the former Baltimore Raven has said that New England lets Matt Judon be Matt Judon. Even though the Patriots give off an extremely buttoned-up persona collectively, Judon says he's free to be himself in Foxboro.
"[Loose] is a good way to describe it," Judon told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton in a 1-on-1 for Sunday's Patriots GameDay. "But loud. In your face. I wouldn't say emotional, but just happy. Just a guy that loves to be around football and to talk football, to talk schemes, talk systems. But I can also talk to you about life and see a different side. I'm not always right, even though I think I'm always right.
"But I can argue or have a conversation about pretty much about anything. Sometimes I make my own stats or facts up, but I'm usually on the right side," Judon said with a giant smirk. "That's just who I am. I'm just a guy who loves to work. I come from a working home; there are 10 of us in the family. Nine brothers and sisters, I'm the sixth child."
Judon said that growing up in such a big family is what made him the man he is today -- and a big part of why he isn't afraid to speak his mind and be a leader in the NFL.
"We were always close and that's why I think football fit me so well. They become your siblings as well, so I'm used to a big family and people with different emotions. Everyone is their own person, and in this building, they allow everyone to be who they are," he explained. "They expect you to be that way every single day and put the work in."
Judon said that he comes from a family of athletes, but he's the best one of the bunch. That happened in the seventh grade when he started to beat his older brothers. He also has a brother who is an artist and one who is a musician, and he's proud of each and every one of his siblings.
"We're all very hard workers and we all had each other's backs growing up," he said. "We had a big family when big families weren't cool. We fought for each other in everything, and that's kind of like what our locker room is. We fight tooth and nail to have our brothers' back."
Judon may be a newcomer to New England, but he's taken on a big brother-like role in the locker room. He's all-business when it comes to football, but he also has a knack for keeping things loose. He's done a good job at the latter by taking over as the locker room DJ, a role that occasionally calls for a delicate balancing act.
"It's a hard job. Sometimes the offensive linemen want to listen to some different music, some alternative stuff, and people tell me to turn that off," he joked. "I brought the speakers for everyone. If you want to connect to the Bluetooth for 30 minutes, you're welcome.
"I want to keep everyone in mind and keep everyone rolling," he added. "This is a job, but this is a job you are supposed to have fun at. You have to love every single moment of it. When you don't, that's when mistakes happen."
Catch Steve Burton's full 1-on-1 with Matt Judon on Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV Sunday morning at 11:30 am. The Patriots and the Jets kick off at 1 pm on WBZ, and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter.
