FOXBOROUGH - While some might believe Bill Belichick is not prone to admitting errors, the Patriots coach was forthcoming yesterday when it came to a question about linebacker Gary Guyton and why no team - including his own - drafted the former Georgia Tech standout last year.
“That’s a good question,’’ Belichick said. “We blew it, too. We took a linebacker ahead of him. We talked about him and [Bo] Ruud, about which one to take and, obviously, we drafted the wrong one, too.’’
The Patriots took Ruud in the sixth round (197th overall) and signed him July 1, 2008. Ruud never made it out of training camp, was placed on injured reserve (ankle) Aug. 30, 2008, and released April 29, three days after the 2009 draft.
Guyton, meanwhile, signed as an undrafted free agent May 2, 2008, and made the Patriots’ opening day roster. He distinguished himself last season as the first undrafted rookie linebacker to start for the Patriots - in back-to-back wins at Seattle and Oakland - since Belichick became head coach in 2000.
“To me, it’s a miracle we even signed him,’’ Belichick said, “because it was his first question to me: ‘Why didn’t you draft me?’
“So, I don’t know. That’s a good question.’’
It’s a question that no longer seems to gnaw at Guyton. But there was a time when it did - when he was sitting in the living room of his brother’s home in Hampton, Ga., waiting to hear his name called in the 2008 draft. When the final round came and went, Guyton was left to stew.
“There was all kinds of mixed emotions, ups and downs,’’ said Guyton, who called three college teammates that day to congratulate them on being drafted: linebacker Philip Wheeler (Colts), running back Tashard Choice (Cowboys), and punter Durant Brooks (Redskins).
There were no such calls for him, but Guyton’s phone did ring with opportunities from teams interested in signing him as a free agent.
“I was happy to get calls after the draft, so that’s still an opportunity,’’ he said. “Everybody wants to get drafted, but I wasn’t drafted. But at the end of the day I still had an opportunity, so I was excited about that.’’
Guyton seized his opportunity, playing in 14 games and making two starts last season, and he has built on that this season. When Jerod Mayo went down with a knee injury in the season opener against Buffalo, Guyton filled in admirably at middle linebacker.
“He did have a lot of responsibility those few games when Jerod was out,’’ Belichick said. “We played a lot of four-man line, and he played a lot as the inside linebacker and handled a lot of calls. Now, he and Jerod do it together. Gary’s been good since the day he’s been here.
