Scott Chandler will be part-player, part-spectator this season for the New England Patriots.
Chandler was the Buffalo Bills’ primary receiving tight end the past four years before being released this offseason, and now he’ll take on a reduced role playing behind and alongside All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. Chandler doesn’t know Gronkowski well, but he seems to have a pretty good grasp on the star tight end.
“I’ve talked to Rob on the field after games, and that’s about it. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other and get along well,” Chandler said Friday on a conference call with the New England media. “He seems like a fun guy to be around. He’s a great player. I’m looking forward to being able to learn from him and watch him do his thing. It’s pretty fun to watch.”
Chandler played his college ball at Iowa under Bill Belichick disciple Kirk Ferentz. Playing for Ferentz could help him catch on quickly with the Patriots.
“You’re laid out what’s expected of you, and you’re expected to carry that out,” Chandler recalled from his time with Ferentz. “If you’re not, you’re not going to play. I really appreciated that approach. He tells you what you need to do to get on the field. Obviously he built a great program there, and he and Coach Belichick have a lot in common with the way they approach coaching, so I’m excited to get in and deal with Coach Belichick.”
Chandler had tremendous success playing against the Patriots while with the Bills, catching 28 passes for 384 yards with four touchdowns in eight games, but he swatted away any concerns about now playing for the “enemy.” Chandler is just excited to be playing for a winning franchise.
“I think Coach Belichick is a real straight-forward guy,” Chandler said. “I haven’t had too much interaction with him, but from what I’ve heard, he’s just a guy who’s going to tell it like it is. That’s the approach that after bouncing around, sometimes you have guys who beat around the bush and don’t tell you really what’s going on. Coach Belichick seems to do that, and that’s an approach you can appreciate.”
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
