Jake Bailey Reveals Reason For Patriots Struggles After Joining Dolphins
Jake Bailey wouldn’t say much Wednesday about his grievance against the Patriots, only that it had been resolved.
But the former All-Pro punter did share his side of why he struggled so mightily during his final season in New England.
In his introductory Miami Dolphins news conference, Bailey told reporters an increased emphasis on squat workouts led to back issues and ultimately derailed his 2022 campaign.
“A lot of it had to do with squatting a ton,” Bailey said, via Omar Kelly of Sports Illustrated’s Dolphins blog. “I didn’t grow up loading my back with back squats. … I tried to start something new and be part of the program, and it backfired the whole season.”
Bailey said he “didn’t feel like myself the whole year.”
“I was squatting a lot and getting treatment on my back since Week 1,” he said, via Kelly, adding that he hasn’t squatted since Week 15 and now feels “pretty good.”
Players have remarked in the past about New England emphasizing lower-body lifting more than other NFL teams. That struck cornerback Shaun Wade when he came over from Baltimore in 2021, saying early in his Patriots tenure that “every day is definitely a leg day here.” But it’s unclear why Bailey’s training plan evidently shifted in his fourth season with the franchise.
Regardless, was clear all season that something was off with Bailey. Just two years after earning first-team All-Pro honors and months after receiving a lucrative contract extension, the 25-year-old ranked dead last among qualified punters in both yards per punt and net punting average.
Bailey ultimately was placed on injured reserve in mid-November, and the Patriots suspended him in January, prompting his camp to file a grievance against the team.
“While Jake Bailey was on IR, he never missed a single treatment, meeting or practice,” Bailey’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, said after the suspension was reported. “He was hoping to come off IR to play, but Jake was informed he was being suspended these last two games. This comes as a surprise given his full participation during injury reserve. We have filed a grievance to fight this unknown suspension.”
The Patriots released Bailey earlier this month. A week later, he signed with the AFC East rival Dolphins. He was asked about the suspension Wednesday.
“There is a lot to unpack, and a lot of it is between them and me,” he said, via Kelly. “Confusion was a lot of it, and we’re past it now at this point. It’s something that happened and something that’s unfortunate for both sides.”
He added: “The details of it are between me and the Patriots. The grievance is done, but everything surrounding it is in the past.”
With Bailey’s ineffective late-season replacement, Michael Palardy, now a free agent, the Patriots do not have a punter under contract for the upcoming season. The odds of them targeting one in next month’s NFL draft are high.
The post Jake Bailey Reveals Reason For Patriots Struggles After Joining Dolphins appeared first on NESN.com.