WEEI Football Sunday: Tom E. Curran on his report conflicting with Rapoport's
Cornerback J.C. Jackson was one of the Patriots’ 46 active players during their 27-17 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.
He didn’t play a snap. Why?
“He wasn’t available,” said head coach Bill Belichick following the game. “We’ll just leave it at that.”
Hm.
Jackson wasn't on the injury report this week, played 83% of New England's defensive snaps last Thursday in their win against the Steelers, and as mentioned above, was active for Sunday’s game against Kansas City, meaning he was likely in the Pats' game plan 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Not only that, but rookie Alex Austin, who played in Jackson’s place on Sunday, told reporters after the game that he found out he’d be starting just prior to kickoff:
“It meant a lot,” Austin said. “Blessed with the opportunity and for the coaches being able to trust me.”
Like most of Jackson's second stint with the Patriots since being traded back to the club this offseason, something doesn't add up.
The cornerback has been benched multiple times since returning to Foxborough, and was sent home prior to New England's Week 10 team’s trip to Germany due to “questions about his reliability”.
It'll be interesting to see how (and when) this saga ultimately ends.
An update: According to MassLive's Karen Guregian, Jackson missing Sunday's game was the result of a “personal matter coming up”. His agent later told ESPN that Jackson is “dealing with mental health issues”.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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