Jackson gets in on action
Pros, cons for young CB
FOXBORO — When J.C. Jackson showed up at his locker yesterday morning, he found a custom T-Shirt waiting for him. The design of the shirt, done by the company “500 Level,” depicts Jackson’s high-five with Cordarrelle Patterson as Patterson crossed the goal line for his kickoff return touchdown a week ago against the Bears. “They said they’re supposed to be sending more,” Jackson said. “It’s kind of cool.” No word yet if Bill Belichick plans on wearing it to his next press conference. The play was one of the highlights in a busy afternoon for Jackson, who threw a key block to spring Patterson for the 95-yard touchdown. The undrafted rookie out of Maryland logged a careerhigh 31 snaps on defense — “I thought it was more,” Jackson said yesterday — and was frequently involved. He delivered a highlight interception, diving to snatch the ball away from Bears receiver Josh Bellamy on a third-and-10 in the late third quarter. But he also committed three penalties: two for illegal use of the hands, and one for defensive pass interference. The second illegal use of hands penalty negated a third-down stop inside the 10-yard line, providing the Bears with a fresh set of downs at the 2-yard line. “Playing DB, you’ve got to have a short-term memory, man,” Jackson said. “It’s part of football. You’ve just got to move on to the next play.” A well-built, physical corner, Jackson admitted that there’s been an adjustment to how the NFL game is officiated. He’s been flagged a team-high five times in limited action this season. “It’s kind of hard, because I’m a physical corner,” Jackson said. “I like to press up. I don’t know. Coaches say, ‘Keep playing physical.’ They like my physicality, so I’ve just got to keep playing my game and just get my hands down a little bit, try not to hit the receiver in the face.” Jackson was also penal- ized for defensive holding against Detroit’s Kenny Golladay in Week 3. He was caught off-guard by a fleaflicker. “It’s just a technique thing,” Jackson said of the penalties. “It can be fixed.” The Patriots are giving Jackson a chance to earn the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Stephon Gilmore. He rotated in quite a bit for Jason McCourty during the Bears game, and he should get more opportunities against a feeble Bills passing offense.
Gronk returns
After skipping the trip to Chicago and missing Wednesday’s practice, Rob Gronkowski returned to the field yesterday afternoon. Reporters were able to watch the first 10 minutes of practice, and Gronkowski participated in positional drills with his fellow tight ends. He was listed as a limited participant on the team’s practice report. The All-Pro tight end is dealing with back spasms, according to a source. The source indicated that Gronkowski should be OK with rest. Offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (concussion) also returned to practice in a limited capacity. Cannon missed four practices and the Week 7 game against the Bears. There were two prominent additions to the practice report, as linebacker Dont’a Hightower (knee) and offensive tackle Trent Brown (ankle) were limited. Defensive end Deatrich Wise, who played just 10 snaps against the Bears due to ankle and knee injuries, returned to the field after a one-day absence. Three players were absent: running back Sony Michel (knee), cornerback Eric Rowe (groin), and offensive lineman Brian Schwenke (foot). Michel suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury on the first snap of the second quarter versus Chicago. But an MRI on Monday revealed no structural damage to the left knee, according to a source.
‘Saved my career’
As the NFL trade deadline looms, Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy reflected on the two-year anniversary of the deal that sent him to New England. It’s still one of the more perplexing trades in recent memory. Van Noy, who at the time was starting for the Lions and sometimes playing upwards of 80 percent of the defensive snaps, was shipped to New England with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick. The Lions ended up moving from No. 239 to No. 215 in the 2017 NFL Draft when they bailed on Van Noy, who still had another year remaining on his rookie contract at the time of the trade. For Van Noy, the fresh start in New England was welcomed. Asked yesterday about the importance of the trade for his career, Van Noy said, “It saved it, honestly, probably.” “It’s been a blessing, kind of changed my whole life,” Van Noy said. “Definitely have to thank (Bill Belichick). He’s a big part of why I’m here, if not the reason.”