New England Patriots made exception to harsh approach under Bill Belichick
The New England Patriots came into training camp without their star defensive lineman reporting, but have moved quickly to resolve that issue in a move head coach Bill Belichick normally does not make.
Matthew Judon had not been with the team when they returned to practice, wanting his contract revised after his strong performances in recent years.
For the past two decades, Belichick has had the same stance when it comes to contracts - often not renegotiating deals after they've been made.
However, the Patriots have met Judon's demands just days after he made his stance clear, now returning to the team and speaking positively of Belichick.
He told reporters: "Me and the guys upstairs got something done as far as my contract. I’m happy. They’re happy. We shook hands. And now we’re playing football.
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"I think it represents that they want to keep me around here or keep me happy. Or just it’s representing that they’ve seen what I did and they appreciate it, for the organization.
"When you do something like that — honestly, they didn’t have to if we’re being quite frank. They didn’t have to. They didn’t have to budge. They could have said, ‘You signed this. This is what you’re going to do.’ But they helped me out, so I can help the team out."
Bill BelichickThe Patriots are quietly building up a strong defensive unit, with pass-rushing duo Josh Uche and Judon having the most sacks between defensive ends in the league (28).
Judon had 16 of those sacks in the best season of his career, continuing to be one of the better players in the league at the position.
The 30-year-old had only joined the Patriots two years ago, after signing a four-year $56 million deal (£43m). Judon has been more than worth it with 29 sacks in the last two seasons.
The team will be in an extremely tough division this season, playing twice against three different Super Bowl contenders in the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
As well as being boosted by the return of Judon, the Patriots should be improved offensively after they hired former Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to work with quarterback Mac Jones. He coached the same offense the QB thrived in during his time in college.
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