Hinesville native Gary Guyton has surprised most of the staff of the New England Patriots but not head coach Bill Belichick who said Guyton is a versatile player who can rush, cover and play both inside and outside linebacker positions.
Belicihck has told reporters Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe and Robert Lee of the Providence Journal the Patriots are lucky they were able to sign him as a free agent. Accoridng to Reiss, Guyton has aced the one test Belichick values the most-consistency. Guyton is third on the depth chart at inside linebacker, primarily playing on the strong side of the formation (tight end side). That makes him the top backup to Tedy Bruschi. His speed is also the reason Belichick has Guyton on the punt return and kickoff return teams.
Guyton has 14 solo tackles and four assists so far this season as the Patriots look to play Buffalo on Sunday.
"He's one of those kids that works hard and keeps on getting better," Belichick said. "As long as he does that, I'm sure his playing time will increase and he will get more opportunities. He continues to take advantage of them."
Belicihck has told reporters Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe and Robert Lee of the Providence Journal the Patriots are lucky they were able to sign him as a free agent. Accoridng to Reiss, Guyton has aced the one test Belichick values the most-consistency. Guyton is third on the depth chart at inside linebacker, primarily playing on the strong side of the formation (tight end side). That makes him the top backup to Tedy Bruschi. His speed is also the reason Belichick has Guyton on the punt return and kickoff return teams.
Guyton has 14 solo tackles and four assists so far this season as the Patriots look to play Buffalo on Sunday.
"He's one of those kids that works hard and keeps on getting better," Belichick said. "As long as he does that, I'm sure his playing time will increase and he will get more opportunities. He continues to take advantage of them."