Patriots' Alex Austin embraced his unique opportunity in Sunday's loss to Chiefs
Alex Austin was presented with an interesting opportunity on Sunday. Just minutes before the game, Austin was told that he was going to start at cornerback, opposite of Jonathan Jones. And while it was a shock, he stepped up and didn't let all the drama distract him. “Personally, I feel like I had a great […]
Alex Austin was presented with an interesting opportunity on Sunday.
Just minutes before the game, Austin was told that he was going to start at cornerback, opposite of Jonathan Jones.
And while it was a shock, he stepped up and didn't let all the drama distract him.
“Personally, I feel like I had a great game, but there’s always things to clean up," Austin said. "You’re never as good as you think and never as bad, so looking forward to coming in tomorrow and breaking down the film with the coaches and getting my coaching points.”
Austin got the start with J.C. Jackson mysteriously missing from the Patriots sideline. However, MassLive's Karen Guregian reported that Jackson was missing due to a “personal matter coming up.”
Jackson was not on the inactive list, but his absense made many question why he wasn't included. Yet, Guregian added that the issue occurred after the inactive list came out.
While this is how he got the job, he was more focused on preparing for the start.
“I felt ready for the opportunity," Austin said. "Like you said, I’ve been grinding for a long time to get this opportunity. I just was blessed enough to be able to get out there and get that start against a great opponent, a great quarterback, a great offense. So, I felt good, and I felt confident to go out there with a group of guys that I’m battling with every day. The veteran guys made things easier for me out there with communication, and it was just fun to build that camaraderie today with the guys.”
Bill Belichick was also asked about Austin's performance after the game, but gave a very typical answer.
"Well, I mean, we all know that when a game starts, anything can happen. Happened a little bit before that," Belichick said. "He was ready to play, expected to play. Played a lot, so. Talked about that before, it’s everybody’s job to be ready to go. That’s what we do."
