Few — if any — Patriots players know DeMarcus Covington better than Deatrich Wise.
The two both arrived in Foxborough prior to the 2017 season, and for the past four years, Covington served as Wise’s positional coach on the defensive line. New England’s run defense was one of the lone bright spots in a disappointing 2023 season, and earlier this month, Jerod Mayo promoted Covington to defensive coordinator.
BetMGM BET $5, GET $158! BONUS BETS
STATES: MA, KY, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org.
So what can people expect from Covington in his new role?
Wise provided a scouting report on the 34-year-old coordinator in a Tuesday afternoon phone call with MassLive.
“DeMarcus Covington is a very intelligent coach,” Wise said. “Being able to read offenses and he’s always been able to break down other teams to be prepared for them. He’s a very intelligent coach. Very passionate coach. Loves to give speeches to the team and get everybody fired up.”
So what’s it like to be in the room for a Covington speech?
“He’s the type of guy that always points out things that we are good at,” Wise said. “The speeches are always motivating. For us to continue doing great things… That’s what he’s he’s really good at: Bringing the best out of guys. Motivating them.
“He brings the best out of guys when he speaks. Very passionate. Not very loud, but when he does speak, his voice is heard.”
After a 4-13 season saw the Patriots finish last in the AFC, Wise believes all the Patriots coaches are going to get a highly-motivated group in 2024.
“There’s a lot of hungry guys out there,” Wise said. “There’s a lot of hungry guys on our team. Guys who want to prove themselves based off last year’s performance. Even though last year happened, I know my team and we have the type of guys to come back even stronger.”
- NFL fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses.
