FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ defense is playing so well, they’ve earned a nickname.
Linebacker Jamie Collins dubbed his group, “The Boogeymen,” which Dont’a Hightower revealed to the world Sunday to rave reviews. One Patriots defender isn’t so sure about the moniker, however.
“I’m going to continue to make fun of them for that,” safety Devin McCourty said.
The Patriots secondary, which is playing just as well as the linebacker group, hasn’t given themselves a nickname yet.
“We just play football, man,” McCourty said. “We’ve got a lot of guys born in the 80’s, man. We’re not into all of that. They do that stuff — social media.”
Running back James White is into it. He’s Team Boogeymen.
“I think it’s pretty clever,” White said. “Big, scary guys, right?”
And no, the running backs also don’t have a nickname.
All that matters is that the Patriots’ linebackers like it. It is fitting. Hightower, Collins, Kyle Van Van Noy, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Elandon Roberts, Chase Winovich, John Simon and Shilique Calhoun are the kind of unit that will keep opposing quarterbacks up at night. They have 15 of the Patriots’ 24 sacks through five games.
“It’s cool,” Hightower said. “I think a lot of guys in the linebacker room, I think we’ve kind of embraced it a little bit.”
