New England Patriots - NESN.com
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Marcus Jones can be used on the offensive side of the ball.
The Patriots cornerback and return specialist put his incredible speed on display once again Sunday, running back a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in a 42-13 drubbing of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He also had a 61-yard return to set up another score.
Jones has long been floated — and at times utilized in earlier regimes — as an option on offense, especially given the dearth of useful pass-catchers in New England in recent years. But that’s a lever that seldom has been pulled, though the conversation resurfaces every time he rips off another impressive return.
So, naturally, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked Sunday after the game if he’d consider using Jones on offense.
“We’d consider anything that would help us win or score points, certainly,” Vrabel said, via a team-provided transcript.
He was pressed on whether it’s something he’s considered.
“We consider everything,” Vrabel said. “Again, we’ve got a lot of guys that are producing over there. We’ll see where that goes and how it translates.”
To Vrabel’s point, the current group of offensive weapons continuing to produce would be ideal as opposed to needing to utilize defensive players on the other side of the ball.
That said, if ever there was a coach who could see the value in occasionally deploying a defensive player on offense, it would be Vrabel.
