Released twice by Green Bay in 2017 and then once by the Patriots, Ricky Jean Francois has become a major contributor in the defensive line as the team heads to Super Bowl LII.
FOXBORO – The owner of 30 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises, Ricky Jean Francois had a cup of coffee with the Patriots from Nov. 7-Dec. 2.
Re-signed on Dec. 13, he’s helped fill a hole in the team’s defensive line the second time around.
Now, the 31-year-old journeyman – the Patriots are the fifth team he’s suited up for over a nine-year NFL career – is headed to the Super Bowl, an experience he calls “a blessing.”
The ballad of Jean Francois continued to unfold in the Patriots’ 24-20 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium that sent them on to Super Bowl LII and next Sunday’s date with the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis, the 6-foot-3, 313-pounder’s contributions consisting of a run-stuffing five tackles while participating in just 22 defensive plays.
“I would never imagine being in this position right now,” said Jean Francois, who was released three times by two teams (twice by the Green Bay Packers, once by the Patriots) in 2017. “The only thing I was imagining, just hoping let me get on a team and stick with a team and become an impact player for a team, and to do it with this team right here is a blessing and I say thank God every day to be in the position I’m in now because if I had to look five or six months back I wouldn’t be looking at this position right now. I might be home watching the Super Bowl, but now I’m actually in it.”
Jean Francois’ impact is reflected on the inactive lists the Patriots submitted prior to their two postseason wins, each containing the name of Alan Branch. Once a mainstay in the line, the 6-foot-6, 350-pound Branch, whose knee injury last month prompted the team to bring Jean Francois back (an injury to Malcom Brown led to his initial signing with the team), hasn’t even dressed in the postseason – this despite the fact that he declared himself healthy enough to play two weeks ago.
Making the most of his second opportunity, Jean Francois tallied six tackles in the Patriots’ key 27-24 win at Pittsburgh in the teams’ regular-season game on Dec. 17. In addition to his five stops against the Jaguars, his postseason contributions have included an 8-yard sack of Marcus Mariota in the Pats’ 35-14 divisional playoff win over Tennessee in Foxboro.
According to Jean Francois, it’s all just been a matter of fitting in.
“No matter who they bring in this locker room, they’re going to find a role for you,” he said. “Once you get that role, it’s up to you to master it. They give you the playbook, now you’ve got to master it. You’ve got to learn the technique, you’ve got to learn the terms, everything. Once you do that, you’ve got to get comfortable. Once you get comfortable, then (you) start seeing people play faster.”
The defensive MVP in Louisiana State’s 38-24 win over Ohio State in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game, Jean Francois was a seventh-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers who went on to spend four seasons with that team and made three tackles in their 34-31 loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl XLVII.
Over the years, he’d spent time with the Indianapolis Colts (2013-2014), the Washington Redskins (2015-2016) and the Packers (2017).
Now he’s headed to the Super Bowl as a member of the five-time champion Patriots.
“It’s just another day to them. It’s just another game for them,” Jean Francois said. “It’s a blessing for me to be with them as they make their eighth appearance (under head coach Bill Belichick) in the Super Bowl, me making my second. It’s a blessing just to be with them and just keep learning more and more football with them.”
A Gronk sighting: Absent earlier in the week and in the league’s concussion protocol, tight end Rob Gronkowski and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. were both present during the media’s access period at practice on Saturday.
Teams were not required to submit practice and injury reports on Saturday and aren't mandated to do so until Wednesday.
18th anniversary: Saturday marked the 18th anniversary of Belichick’s hiring to take over after the team had suffered through three years of decline with Pete Carroll as head coach.
The Patriots went 5-11 in the year 2000, Belichick’s first season here, The rest, as they say, is history.
Eagles up by one: The Patriots have the ring, but the Eagles hold the upper hand in the all-time series between the two teams.
While the Patriots defeated the Eagles, 24-21, 13 years ago in Super Bowl XXXIX, Philadelphia has won seven of the teams’ 12 regular-season meetings for a 7-6 edge in the all-time series.