New Patriots receiver Marqise Lee has surprisingly fond memories of his last visit to New England.
Lee was playing for Jacksonville when the Jaguars, buoyed by the NFL’s top defense, invaded Gillette Stadium in the 2017 AFC Championship Game and nearly pulled off what would have been a monumental upset.
The Jags led by 10 with less than nine minutes remaining before two Tom Brady-to-Danny Amendola touchdown connections and a diving Stephon Gilmore pass breakup gave New England a 24-20 win and propelled the Patriots to Super Bowl LII.
That loss extinguished what looked like a budding AFC powerhouse, as the Jaguars slunk back to mediocrity the following season and have since cut ties with nearly every key member of their dominant defense. But Lee, who signed with the Patriots last month after being released by the Jags, isn’t bitter.
“That game was crazy,” Lee said Wednesday in a video conference with reporters. “I ain’t going to lie to you, I enjoyed it. Of course, New England came out on top. It just showed the resiliency of New England. You could just see it in their eyes, them not giving up, them continuing to fight and continuing to rock out.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to. I don’t feel like none of that left the team, regardless of who is here or not. I feel like everybody on this team is willing to fight. That’s just their mentality. I’m the same way and I’m just coming to try to help.”
Of course, the Patriots team Lee is joining looks very different from the one he saw in the 2017 playoffs. The most notable change has come at quarterback, with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer set to compete for the starting job Tom Brady vacated when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Patriots’ offensive weapons also have been overhauled. Of the seven New England players who caught a pass in the 2017 AFC title game (Amendola, Brandin Cooks, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Dion Lewis and James White), only White remains with the team.
Lee is looking to revive his career after missing the entire 2018 season and most of 2019 with injuries. The 28-year-old caught more passes in his last game in Foxboro (four for 41 yards) than he did in the last two seasons combined (three for 18 yards).
