Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said “the plan” this week is for Christian Gonzalez to be available against the Carolina Panthers, and in the wake of those comments, the All-Pro cornerback sounded puzzled by any notion that he wouldn’t have wanted to play in the last three games.
“I never don’t want to play. That narrative that’s out there, I don’t know where people get it from. I mean, all I want to do is play football, so, we talked about it and came up to a decision, and that’s what it is,” he said at his locker Wednesday.
Gonzalez referenced a conversation he had with Vrabel after returning to practice in a limited capacity last week. Vrabel said the call of whether or not Gonzalez would play against the Steelers in Week 3 was the head coach’s to make.
“I made a decision at the end of the week that he just needed a little bit more time. That’s what happens when you start this return to play and practice and work hard and see how you respond,” Vrabel said.
“I was upset,” Gonzalez said about his reaction to that decision, last week. “But sometimes, you’ve got to look at yourself and make sure you’re all the way ready. Hamstrings are a tough, tough injury. It’s a tough spot. So, that’s what it is.”
It’s been eight weeks since Gonzalez injured his hamstring in padded practice, during Patriots training camp. Through three weeks, New England’s defense has yielded the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL without the corner.
When asked by WEEI how confident he feels about being in game shape, Gonzalez sounded optimistic.
“It’s kind of hard to answer that. You don’t really know, but I’ve always been in relatively good shape when it comes to my heart and stamina and things like that, so I’m not too worried about that,” he said.
He acknowledged it hasn’t been easy to be sidelined for this long.
“It’s what I do. I love football. It’s been hard being out, it’s been hard just watching. But, excited to get back at it this week,” he said.