The first few days of Patriots training camp were controversy free. Then, the pads came on and linebacker Matthew Judon didn’t practice and it got a little ugly and he missed a day of work.
Now, everything has settled down. Judon is practicing in pads, despite his discontent with a contract that pays him only $6.5 million in 2024.
“I expect all of our players to, if the dress is full pads, to come out here in full pads,” coach Jerod Mayo told reporters on Saturday. “I expect all of our players to, if the dress is shells, then to be out here in shells. Like I said, we’re moving past the Judon thing. We’re both in a good place. I think the team is in a good place and we’re pushing forward.”
The fact that Judon didn’t practice for a day and then was gone for a day before returning to practice suggests that he wanted to start a hold-in, but the team declined to cooperate. That’s one of the basic requirements for a strategic hold-in; the team has to be on board with it. Otherwise, the player is simply refusing to practice.
For Mayo, the situation is an example of the fact that, once camp opens, things can and will happen.
“I had a conversation with [Steelers coach] Mike Tomlin at the ownership meetings and he was like, ‘Every day is different,’” Mayo said. “That’s what it is. Just got to be ready to adjust. I talk about mental agility all the time; you have to be able to change on the fly. The opposite is rigidity, which I don’t think I’m a rigid person and willing to learn from other people.”
He’s learning his current job on the job. Which as in most jobs is the best way to figure things out.