Matt Judon has been one of the best Patriots players so far this summer, as he's stood out in a big way in the two preseason games.
So, when second-year player Josh Uche gets compared to him, it should mean a little something more.
“He’s like a little Judon, almost," linebacker Dont'a Hightower said Thursday following the second joint practice with the Giants. "Honestly, that’s big brother, little brother. He brings a lot of energy. A different energy. A younger, generational energy. But I love it. He’s a hard worker. He’s always asking questions. It’s never a dull moment around Uche, I’ll say that.”
After missing Wednesday, Uche was arguably the best defensive player on the field Thursday, as he had four-ish would-be sacks against the Giants in 11-on-11s and appeared to draw a few penalties.
The Michigan product seems primed for a bigger role with the defense this year.
Uche is part of a linebackers group that is extremely deep and has a great deal of experience.
“It’s really good whenever you can have that kind of knowledge in the linebacker room," Hightower said. "We’ve all played a lot of football. A few of us have played a lot of football in this system. It really helps when [Jerod] Mayo has played a lot in this system as well. From getting corrections, to installments, the way he explains things we’re able to pick it up pretty quick. And we’re able to move along things at a little more 2.0ish, I guess.
"Being on the field, a play breaks down, it’s real good for us to be able to look at one other and know ‘That’s my bad, I have to press the guard harder. Or slow down on that. Or alert for this stuff.’ So being able to do that stuff inside a series is good, because a good offensive coordinator is going to hit you up on that a few times. If we’re able to fix things like that, or little minor corrections on the sideline, that helps everybody.”
The Patriots will take on the Giants in the final preseason game Sunday night.
