For much of the offseason through the first week of training camp, there were lingering concerns about the state of the Patriots' pass rush, particularly the apparent lack of depth and Harold Landry missing much of the summer practices due to an injury.
The situation surrounding rookie Gabe Jacas was even more worrisome, as the team couldn't reach an agreement on his rookie contract, which kept him away until last week. That, coupled with reports of an offseason knee procedure to clean up a previous injury, only made the worries feel even worse.
Luckily, after nearly a week of training camp, Jacas officially joined the team after signing his contract and participated in practice almost immediately. And from the looks of it, he is impressing with his performance thus far and putting the biggest concerns to rest with his explosive style.
He was then given the opportunity to address the media after Tuesday's practice for the first time, which was especially important given that Mike Vrabel didn't provide much clarity on the rookie's situation, and he sent a message directly to Patriots fans that they'll definitely want to hear.
Gabe Jacas has a strong message for Patriots fans since finally joining training camp
After addressing questions about his contract and injury status, Jacas was asked whether he had a message for fans who were excited that he had finally joined the team but were still concerned about him being behind his teammates.
He quickly addressed that and assured everyone that he is ready to go and has studied the playbook, so he's more than ready to get going.
“I just wanna let all the Patriots fans know that I’m all behind everybody. You’re gonna get the best player out of me each and every game. Anything I can do to help the team win, I’m gonna do it. Whatever it takes.”
While it's good to hear that he's ready to go and is determined to do what it takes to be the impactful player the team needs, it is still concerning how far behind he has fallen due to his absence.
He has a lot of ground to make up for, especially in a position that is wide open for the taking since Landry remains sidelined, and the hope is that he can get things going sooner rather than later. He's shown flashes of greatness at practice so far, but that doesn't mean he's ready to be counted on just yet.
There is still plenty of time until they have their first preseason game, which is a good thing for someone in Jacas' situation, so he has plenty of chances to catch up to his teammates. He must, as he is projected to play a crucial role in the defense, and he needs to live up to the hype.
It's clear that the coaching staff believes he can do that, as we've already heard about Mike Vrabel "picking on him" during meetings, which would only be happening to push him and get him acclimated to the NFL, so if he can continue his impressive streak of practices, then most of the concerns surrounding his rookie season will be put to rest.
That way, his message to the fans won't look like just talk.
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