There were more questions than answers following the New England Patriots’ 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Several questions surrounded the Patriots use of personnel, and that included linebacker Anfernee Jennings.
Jennings was a scratch for the opener, a bit of a surprise after having a stellar preseason. Jahlani Tavai got the start over him Sunday and played 15 snaps on special teams.
Jennings is in his third season with the Patriots and looked to be catching on over the summer. Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave an explanation why Jennings, among others, was inactive. If nothing else, he did so in true Belichickian fashion, as transcribed by Zack Cox of NESN.com.
“Practice and preseason games are two different things,” Belichick said. “In the regular season, you can only activate so many players. You activate the ones that you think will give your team the best opportunity as a total team to win. So that’s what we did. That’s what we’ll continue to do. That’s what it’ll always be.”
Personnel management may be a bit of a theme, as New England gets set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will be intriguing to see if Jennings has a role, as the Patriots continue to tinker with their linebacking group.
