Don Jones didn’t take a single defensive snap during his nine games with the New England Patriots, but he still had to know exhaustive details about his upcoming opponent.
The Patriots claimed Jones off the Miami Dolphins’ waivers on Sept. 1. The Dolphins returned the favor by claiming the special-teams ace on Nov. 28 after he was waived by the Patriots on Thanksgiving.
Jones described his time playing for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to the Miami Herald this week, in preparation for the Dolphins-Patriots matchup at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
“Belichick would say, I have (expletive) questions for you on Wednesday, and I want (expletive) answers!” Jones said.
“He would say, ‘Don, who is the starting right guard of the team we’re playing this week? What college did he go to? Who is their special teams coordinator?’ Before we played Denver, he said, ‘Who is the linebacker who filled in for the one who was injured?’”
Those tests seem a bit excessive, but Jones still enjoyed his time with the Patriots.
“They make sure players are prepared for everything,” Jones said. “Bill is good to play for. There’s no rah-rah. He just tells you what to do, very straight-forward.”
Jones told the Herald that the Patriots didn’t ask Jones about the Dolphins’ schematics prior to their Week 1 matchup — a 33-20 Miami win. He also said the Dolphins didn’t ask Jones about the Patriots leading up to this week.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
