Jamie Collins delivered one of the finest performances of his interrupted New England Patriots tenure Sunday afternoon.
During a 43-0 waxing of the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium, the veteran linebacker tallied half a sack, one tackle for loss and two interceptions, one of which he returned 69 yards for a touchdown. The other, which came on the game’s final play, preserved the Patriots’ first shutout since 2016.
“Jamie’s a very special player,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a conference call Monday. “He’s very smart, instinctive. He’s got a great nose for the ball in the passing game and in the running game. He’s got the physical skills to play at the end of the line and off the line, to blitz, to play in coverage, play against the run and play against the pass. So we’re able to do different things with him, and he’s been productive and effective in all of them.”
Collins’ physical gifts always have been apparent, but Belichick had even higher praise for the 29-year-old’s intellect. Belichick said Collins, who was criticized for “freelancing” late in his first stint with New England, displays remarkable situational awareness, often raising ideas even the coaching staff had not considered.
“It’s really exciting to have that type of player in your system and to have players he can work with,” Belichick said. “They can do things that maybe you don’t normally or aren’t able to do because of some type of limitations, but he’s very smart and he understands things.
“He a lot of times will recognize things before I do and say ‘Hey, can I do this in this situation?’ or ‘Hey, can I do this in that situation?’ That’s the kind of football thinker he is, so he’s brought a lot to us defensively in a lot of different areas. From first down to third down, to playing on the punt team, he’s added a lot to us.”
Collins, who returned to New England this past spring following a 2 1/2-year stay in Cleveland, was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded Patriots defender in Sunday’s blowout victory. His 82 defensive snaps played through two games ranked second among Pats front-seven defenders behind Dont’a Hightower (83), with Belichick and defensive signal-callers Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick trusting him to handle multiple different alignments and responsibilities.
“Jamie’s always been a versatile player,” Bill Belichick said. “… Now that he has the experience, and he’s able to utilize his experience and blend it in with his teammates and calls and situations, he has a ton of versatility.”
