Defensive tackle Mike Pennel's stay in New England was short, and it seems it wasn't all that enjoyable, either.
Pennel was one of the Patriots' biggest offseason signings last year, as he signed a two-year deal at the start of free agency. The thought was he would help upgrade the Patriots' defensive line, but things didn't exactly work out.
The 28-year-old was released Aug. 26, which came following the third preseason game. After a few months as a free agent once again, Pennel signed with Kansas City and helped them advance to the Super Bowl.
Speaking at Super Bowl Opening Night Monday in Miami, Pennel addressed his brief time in New England and indicated he wasn't given much of a reason for his release and prefers the coaches he's now with in Kansas City.
"It was just tough," he said, via The Boston Herald. "As a competitor and as an athlete, things happen. And you always want to know and sometimes in this business, especially the NFL, you don't get answers to questions you want to know."
"So after that point, it was a little bit of confusion, a little bit of relief when I got cut," Pennel added. "(I thought) there's bound to somewhere with a lot more transparency and things like that."
In eight regular-season games with the Chiefs, Pennel had 24 tackles and a sack. He seems to have enjoyed the change in scenery, especially getting new coaches.
"It's different when you can go up to your coach and can talk life and not just football," he said. "It's different when you can have a different technique or be able to talk techniques with your coach. Some places you can do that and some places you can't, and New England wasn't a place you can do that."
Pennel added: "I'm close with them guys. They can come talk to me, and I can talk to them. It's just a real good relationship between us."
If the Chiefs are to beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl, Pennel will likely need to have a big game with San Francisco coming off a NFC title game where it ran for over 280 yards on the ground.
