FOXBORO — The pressure is on for Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale after last week.
Patriots defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery believed Ekuale had his best game of the season on Sunday, saying he “played his (expletive) off” with nine tackles, one tackle for loss and a half sack. Now it’s about maintaining that level of play.
“If you put something on film one week, I’m expecting it from you every week,” Montgomery said of Ekuale, who is filling in for Christian Barmore in the middle of the Patriots’ defense.
Ekuale said he felt like he was just doing his job, but his goal this week is to put together the same performance and to win.
Extra points
Defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster last week and played 22 snaps in his Patriots debut. Montgomery said that coming from the Vikings, were ex-Patriots assistant Brian Flores is the defensive coordinator, helped make his transition easier. “He did a good job in the game in the things we asked him to do. He affected the quarterback, had a sack, played blocks well, had some tackles, was productive.” … Inside linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower expects Sione Takitaki to play both inside and outside linebacker when he’s healthy enough to return off of the PUP list. “He’s got a lot of experience. A lot of knowledge of the game. He’s played in the NFL for a while, so just having him out there, he’s a great communicator. He’s gonna bring a lot of positive juice and a lot of positive energy, and he’s strong in the middle, strong outside. He’ll give us that versatility to be able to play whether it’s inside or outside.” … Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt sounded like he didn’t regret the decision to pass on second-and-2 near the end of the first half of Sunday’s 15-10 loss. The decision ultimately gave the Dolphins the ball back with time to score. “From a play-calling standpoint, I know everybody talks about the second-half call right before halftime, not running the ball second-and-2. Still kind of torn on that one, myself, personally. We had two chances to get two yards, to get a first down. We took a shot there wit one of our best wideouts on a corner, gave him an opportunity, didn’t win on the route, didn’t make the throw we needed to make.” It was quarterback Jacoby Brissett throwing to rookie Ja’Lynn Polk on the play. … The Patriots released defensive tackle Trysten Hill from their practice squad.
