Rodney Harrison believes J.C. Jackson made a mistake by antagonizing the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive weapons.
Ahead of the New England Patriots’ road game in LA this Sunday, Jackson said defending the Chargers’ passing game is “not really a big challenge.”
“I mean, we’ve just gotta do what we do best,” the Patriots cornerback said Thursday. “Play our football and trust each other, trust our teammates.”
Jackson might have been speaking more toward his own mindset rather than aiming to disparage his upcoming opponent, but in Harrison’s eyes, his comments were “not smart.”
“J.C. should know better,” the former Patriots safety and current NBC analyst said Friday on WEEI’s “Merloni & Fauria.” “You always respect your opponent. I don’t care how good or how bad your opponent is. You always show a level of respect to your opponent. J.C. probably got caught up in the emotions of the game, but at the end of the day, he’s going to have to back it up in front of a national audience. We’ll see what happens.”
The Chargers boast a dangerous receiving duo in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who have combined for 72 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in six games this season.
“I wouldn’t have said anything like that because when you watch these guys on tape — Keenan Allen and Mike Williams — you could tell the incredible level of talent that they have,” Harrison said. “These are veteran players. They are going to take that personally. Keenan Allen is one of the most competitive guys. You watch him on tape, he’s definitely going to take that personally. J.C., you’ve got to be careful, man. You can’t get caught up in the emotion of the game.”
Jackson, the Patriots’ unquestioned No. 1 cornerback following the Stephon Gilmore trade, has an interception and four pass breakups over the last two games but has struggled at times against top-end receivers. The Patriots had no trouble stopping this Chargers’ offense last season — Jackson allowed one catch on two targets for 7 yards (per Pro Football Focus) in a 45-0 rout — but enter this game with a shallower secondary.
“You’ve got to be careful because those boys can play,” Harrison said on WEEI. “Those are big, big-time players. You go back and watch that tape you’ll see Mike Williams catching passes all over the place, and he’s huge — 6-3, 6-4. We’ll see if you can back it up, J.C.”
