FOXBOROUGH, Mass — For Erick Hunter, the New England Patriots linebacker didn't have much time to prepare for his elevated role on special teams ahead of the team's matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Normally, when making a switch, players have a few days of practice. But instead, Hunter revealed that he found out on Saturday night, less than 24 hours before kickoff. And the 6-foot-3, 224-pound rookie shined, recording four tackles including a major hit on Buffalo's returner Greg Dortch.
But, what made it even more impressive was he didn't have much prior experience at the position.
"I did one time before my freshman year of college, but other than that, no," Hunter told Patriots Wire. "It was fun. I was notified that with a couple of guys down,
I was going to have an opportunity. And I'm not going to shy away from anything.
"I take pride in any role that I'm given and the opportunity I have. So, glad I was able to make the most of it."
But, what also earned him the job was his no-hesitation response to special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.
"Credit to Erick for just syaing, 'I can do this,' and getting taught in two days and going on the field and being a force to reckon with," he explained.
Plus, it was a new experience for Springer as well, since he had never used a linebacker at gunner before.
"I've never used a linebacker… You see guys around the league do it from time to time, especially with injuries," Springer explained. "And like I said, when you have a guy that's big, strong, fast, and powerful, why not put him out to see what he can do?"
He credited head coach Mike Vrabel and Tom Quinn with "thinking outside of the box," adding that while he may be a linebacker by trade, Hunter has "speed and some size and some power out there that can run like a safety and a receiver."
Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr also praised the young linebacker.
"That was awesome to see because we're all so proud of Erick," he said. "Because since Erick's been here, his work ethic, how he just wants to learn, his drive to learn, and how he wants to be so good. He comes early. He'll stay late. He's asking questions all the time. He takes the stuff to heart, and he works at it so hard. And he's just a great dude, and he's talented. Now, he's still a rookie, and he's learning these things. But to finally see some success come along, everybody in the building is ecstatic for him."
Hunter spent the summer with the Detroit Lions, but he was waived as part of the final roster cuts. The following day, he was snatched up by the Patriots.
"Was a great job by our scouting department getting him on board. He's a really good athlete," Springer explained. "He works his tail off, and he wants to be really good on game day. So he's one of those guys that prepares the way he prepares throughout the week... There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to make plays because of the way he prepares."
And he immediately got an opportunity to show off his skill, including one of the things he values most: versatility.
"That's actually something that I like about myself. I am a pretty versatile person," Hunter said. "Being a linebacker that has a bit of speed is something that you can have power, you can have speed, so you can do a couple things with me. I'm just a puzzle piece that can be put in different spots when needed."
But, this is just the beginning for him.
"I just want to make it a habit," he stated. "Consistency is going to be the key. That was just an introduction."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots rookie had less than 24 hours to prepare for new role
