Patrick Chung’s Blunt Take On Toughness Will Fire Up Pats Fans

Patrick Chung is nothing like other safeties. He is special. Chung is a linebacker playing in the defensive backfield. Head coach Bill Belichick gave him a big role, and the 31-year-old is the backbone of the Patriots defense.

Chung jumps into action at the very first moment he hits the field. He is durable, and has only missed two games in the past five seasons. And yes, he is definitely ready for the upcoming season.

I just like to play ball,” Chung told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “It’s a mentality I’ve always grown up with. If I can walk, I can play. That’s just how I’ve always been. It’s how I’m always going to be.” 

“You can’t really name a tougher guy than Chung,” linebacker Dont’a Hightower said. “He plays through a lot. He’s really a utility tool for our defense. He really sets the bar for reps and getting after shit. He doesn’t go slow on anything. Even when he probably shouldn’t have been trying to work out and do extra with that rehab, but he’s always after it. I have the utmost respect for him. If he’s not the toughest, he’s in the top two or three I’ve played with.”

Chung has become a versatile defender and leader on the field. He also plays for lesser money for the benefit of the Patriots as a whole. He is often compared to Rodney Harrison. This is a great honor for him.

“It means a lot,” Chung said.  “I mean, the man just went into the [Patriots] Hall of Fame, but it doesn’t mean anything unless I keep doing it.  So, hopefully when my time is up, he says the same thing.”

Belichick made a mistake about Chung.

“He has a lot of skills. I mean, we recognized it when we had him the first time when we drafted him. We took the guy in the second round, but it just – for a combination of reasons – I’d say a big part of it [being] mistakes that I personally made. It didn’t work out the way that we hoped it would, but we got it right the second time.

“I think we’ve been able to utilize him. I wish we had been able to do that when we initially got him, but it didn’t work out that way. Like I said, I think we finally got it right.

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