Matthew Judon is not worried about the state of the Patriots

While the NFL decision makers convened in Phoenix for the annual ownership meetings, New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon was in New York to share his expertise on all things pro football with a nationwide television audience: the Pro Bowler was a guest host on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Monday and Tuesday.

Judon was asked to give his opinion on a multitude of issues. Naturally, though, the state of the Patriots was one of the most prominent topics brought up.

Despite the team coming off an 8-9 season and currently being a popular pick to finish last in the AFC East in 2023, Judon went all “What, me worry?” when talking about his team. His basic point of view on offseason assessment was that the game is still won and lost between the lines.

“Really, it doesn’t matter. You have to go out there and play, and that’s the thing you have to do. But when nobody’s talking about you, you don’t have high expectations, you have nothing to lose,” he said about the Patriots’ lack of hype at this time in the year.

“We have the loss of [Devin] McCourty, but we have our defense coming back. Our offense, we signed a lot of guys up front that nobody’s talking about to steady up the line. So, regardless of who we have and who’s talking about us, and what type of nuances we have — or do we look like the girl you want to ask to prom first — it doesn’t matter. We have to go out there and play.”

The current questions surrounding the Patriots primarily have to do with the offense, in particular the quarterback position. Former first-round draft pick Mac Jones is coming off a rough sophomore campaign, and him bouncing back would be crucial to the team’s fortunes in 2023.

The Patriots made moves to improve the situation he finds himself in — from hiring Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, to making free agency investments at wide receiver, running back, tight end and the offensive line. Yet, there is speculation whether or not Jones will even be the starting QB this year.

Head coach Bill Belichick, after all, did not gave a clear answer about his status earlier this week. As far as Judon is concerned, he went the diplomatic route when asked about Jones and backup Bailey Zappe on Good Morning Football.

“We all have to get better going into the season,” he said. “Just with more stability and unity in that group or in the offense — you just have to build that through the offseason and going into the year. But I believe that hopefully they come back better, and they come back different players than last year, and we will see what happens through camp.”