Will Jalen Ramsey be able to back up his trash talk? Will Tom Brady be able make him regret his words? I break down (with laser precision) what his words mean, and how the Patriots and Tom Brady can game plan in order to win the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Super Bowl on Sunday.
@phillip_heilman you know you done messed up right? Lol if y’all want war, we got sum for y’all. & Iknow the rest of y’all (you know who you are) gone read this too so just know #LameAssReporters
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) August 12, 2018
Ok, this isn’t about the Patriots, per say, but this kicked off his 2018 Mouth Tour. He went after reporter Phillip Heilman for doing, you know, reporting, when a scuffle broke out at a training camp practice. His combative words earned him a week’s worth of suspension, and I think the Patriots could use this. Hey, Ben Volin, can you head down to Florida early and ask some questions? Asking for thousands of friends. 
The Infamous List
Coming hot on the heels of his suspension, GQ printed its Ramsey interview. In it, he tweaked seventy-five percent of the quarterbacks by saying he’s “trash” (Josh Allen), “sucks” (Joe Flacco), and “overrated” (Matt Ryan). Tom Brady is on the short list of “doesn’t suck”, so I’ll assume that means he’s GOAT level and Ramsey has nightmares of touchdown passes floating just past his fingertips. The article is entertaining and you should give it a read.
Recently, as a follow-up, Brady actually responded and while his trash talking could use some work. “To not suck? I never want to suck, so I don’t want to be in that category,” Brady reacted. In traditional old-guy-with-dad-bod fashion the response was simple, direct and rooted in common sense. Not an initial shot to the mouth, this was more a kidney shot that lingers and changes the color of your urine! Brady from the top rope!
Rhetoric Ramps Up
Put up or Shut up
Amid the preparations and game planning for your opponent you can easily go down rabbit holes where angels fear to tread. I’m pretty sure I mixed up all my metaphors and clichés, but you get my point. While the veteran, championship winning team will talk about focus. The talented, inexperienced team will rely on brash statements and talk. Ramsey doubled down on his comments by saying, “I don’t fear no man, period.” Okay… Then, “So he’s going to have to come out there and line up on me.” I will allow allow Matt Chatham of TheAthletic to eloquently respond to that statement for me.
The Plan
I feel like Gronk will probably break the huddle and line up where the play tells him to. Purdy positive that’s how it works. https://t.co/fjGfeJpeez
— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) September 13, 2018
So what are the Patriots to do? Well we can’t sign. His grandma to go out and catch passes. “Like, I mean, if my brother, my dad, my mom, grandma was out there, it’s like, it’s on. After the game we can be cool, it doesn’t matter.” I was almost considering talking to Bill about this brilliant idea.
Ramsey will generally line up on a number one pass catcher. Fortunately New England’s top guy right now would be Rob Gronkowski. I would love to see this be his primary assignment all game, but I doubt it. If they take the approach of Ramsey and Bouye taking a side and shutting it down, then take advantage of that. The Patriots should rotate guys in and out of the outside position. Give them Dorsett, then Hollister, then White. The versatility will make the corners uncomfortable and not allow them to erase any one guy. If the Jaguars do decide to have him shadow a wide receiver, you have to make them pay by going away from Ramsey or creating plays that challenge him in traffic. In any event I will leave it in Belichicks and Flores’ capable hands. Enjoy the game and be prepared for either a tip of the cap or a slice of humble pie from capable corner. But don’t hold your breath.
All photos courtesy of Getty images unless noted otherwise.
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