FOXBORO — Marquis Flowers was walking down the hallway inside Gillette Stadium when the unthinkable happened: Matt Patricia approached him.
Before he was traded to the Patriots in August, not many people viewed Flowers as a linebacker. That included his old coaches in Cincinnati. The two seasons he played with the Bengals, Flowers played two defensive snaps compared to 618 on special teams. Prior to arriving in Foxboro, he doesn’t remember ever talking [...]
FOXBORO — Marquis Flowers was walking down the hallway inside Gillette Stadium when the unthinkable happened: Matt Patricia approached him.
Before he was traded to the Patriots in August, not many people viewed Flowers as a linebacker. That included his old coaches in Cincinnati. The two seasons he played with the Bengals, Flowers played two defensive snaps compared to 618 on special teams. Prior to arriving in Foxboro, he doesn’t remember ever talking to a defensive coordinator in the NFL.
When Patricia, the Patriots' defensive coordinator, approached early this season, Flowers was stunned.
“I’ll never forgot, I was walking in the hallway and coach Matt Patricia came up to me and said, basically, to keep trying to get better and he likes me, believes in me and really believes I can help the team win,” Flowers said. “That was the first time I ever heard that from a defensive coordinator since I’ve been in [the NFL]. I’m like, ‘Whoa. Is he lying?’ Then I went home and it put even more [confidence] in me — like, ‘Come on, this is not where you’ve been. You’ve got a chance to help the team win.’ I can just say that coach Matt Patricia and coach Brian Flores, they believed in me.”
That belief instilled confidence. That confidence led to 25-year-old Flowers turning into one of the Patriots best linebackers and biggest surprises of the 2017 season. With injuries to the likes of Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy (earlier in the year), Flowers had an opportunity.
He entered this season making 15 total tackles in his career and had no sacks to his name. He finished this regular season playing a career-high 283 defensive snaps. With more playing time, he hit career-highs in tackles (32) and sacks (3½).
“It’s honestly about opportunity. It’s really opportunity,” Flowers said. “It’s about coaches really believing in you and just a fair opportunity. Here, everyone gets a chance to show what they can do. When they show what they can do, they build on it and still want you to get better. They work on you still. I think the biggest thing is a coach that believes in you.”
Flowers had his best game in the Patriots' Week 16 win over Buffalo. He finished that day with a career-high 10 tackles and 2½ sacks (surpassing his production from all of last season). The Patriots used Flowers as a quarterback spy against Tyrod Taylor. The next week, against the New York Jets, he picked up another sack.
Then came last week, Flowers' first playoff game with the Patriots. He played 66 percent of the defensive snaps. Once again, his athleticism was used to stymie an athletic quarterback in Marcus Mariota.
Flowers finished with another sack, totaling 4½ in the last three games. He said that his former Bengals teammates have been reaching out.
“It’s cool when you’re out performing and teammates from other places are like, ‘Yo, I’m happy for you. You’re helping the team win, you’re on a good team and that’s what you always wanted.' They see that and it’s kind of cool. I’m not letting it hit me yet because there’s still work to be done. Honestly, it’s kind of what you expect. When you work hard in the offseason and you train and train. I was fortunate to come here at the end of training camp. It’s everything you work for. You don’t work for it to not help your team win.”
As the Patriots prepare for the AFC Championship Game, Flowers’ skill set could again come into play, as Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles has shown he's a threat to run. One thing’s for certain: Flowers won’t be used on just special teams.
“I definitely enjoy being here,” Flowers said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to be here. I’m thankful in the coaches that I got.”