Patriots’ Jones stepping up in the community, on the field

Matt Metcalf
Posted 5/21/15

If football doesn’t work out in the long-term for New England Patriots defensive end, Chandler Jones, then he may have another professional calling.

To help kick-off Dunkin’ Donuts Iced …

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Patriots’ Jones stepping up in the community, on the field

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If football doesn’t work out in the long-term for New England Patriots defensive end, Chandler Jones, then he may have another professional calling.

To help kick-off Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee Day in Rhode Island, Jones made an appearance at the Dunkin’ in Apponaug on Tuesday afternoon for about an hour, giving away 95 free iced coffees to fans and thirsty patrons in honor of his jersey number.

Jones helped to promote a great cause, as $1 from every iced coffee purchased on Iced Coffee Day was to be donated to Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

And, much like playing football, Jones was a natural behind the counter.

“If all else fails, I might have a calling at Dunkin’ Donuts,” Jones said with a laugh.

But the appearance for a great cause also came with great timing.

Jones was at Dunkin’ Donuts in Apponaug less than two hours after Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft held a press conference to announce that he wouldn’t appeal the mammoth penalty that the NFL unleashed in the wake of the immense overreaction regarding Deflategate.

“I heard it briefly,” Jones said of Kraft’s comments. “My reaction is that Mr. Kraft definitely knows what he’s doing, and I’m behind him 110-percent.”

And as for Jones’ thoughts on Tom Brady, he made it clear that he fully supports his quarterback, as well.

“Tom is our leader and I truly love him from the bottom of my heart,” Jones said. “I love Tom Brady. Whatever he’s going through, he’ll be fine.”

Something that has flown under the radar thanks in large part to Deflategate has been the departures from the Patriots’ championship defense.

When quarterbacks look down field this fall, they won’t see their wide receivers blanketed by Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner – two corners that complimented each other perfectly because of their contrast in styles.

Defensive tackle and long-time Patriot, Vince Wilfork, moved on to the Houston Texans, as well.

So how did the Patriots try to reload? Through the draft.

It looks as if New England is trying to load its defense up front to make up for a seemingly depleted secondary.

The Patriots drafted a pair of defensive ends in the third and fourth rounds – Geneo Grissom from Oklahoma and Trey Flowers from Arkansas.

Those newcomers, along with free agent signee Jabaal Sheard, will join Jones and Rob Ninkovich on the edges.

Jones feels that multiple pass rushers will work in his team’s favor this season.

“The advantage of having multiple pass rushers is that every pass rusher isn’t the same,” Jones said. “So as an offensive lineman, you have to prepare for a number of different rushing styles. It’s very advantageous for us to have a number of different pass rushers.”

In response to losing Wilfork, the Pats drafted Malcom Brown out of Texas in the first round to serve as an early-down run-stopper.

Jones believes that the Pats have some young guys on the defense that are ready to make an impact right away.

After all, they can’t dwell on what they’ve lost in the off-season, they can only move forward.

“We always preach that it’s what we have, not what we don’t have,” Jones said of some key defensive departures. “We have a lot of new guys who are ready to step in and step up.”

Jones is entering just his fourth season in the NFL at the age of 25.

But due to some veterans exiting, Jones may have to serve as a leader on a young Pats’ defensive core – something that he’s ready for.

“Of course,” Jones said of taking on a leadership role this season. “I’m going into my fourth season and I feel like I know the ropes a little bit. I’m definitely going to try to take on that leadership role, for sure.”

From a production standpoint, Jones is certainly a leader on the Pats’ defense.

He endured a hip injury last season, but had a tremendous start to 2014, and had a breakout year in 2013 with 11.5 sacks.

But on Tuesday, Jones proved that his talents stem much further than just football.

Dunkin’ Donuts will always be there for Jones, but so far, football is working out just fine.

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