fbpx
Skip to main content

Report: Patriots hiring martial arts expert as pass-rushing consultant

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots hasn't discussed a Malcolm Butler trade with the Saints yet

The best pass rushers know how to use their hands. Just ask Aaron Donald, who was taped literally training with knives earlier this offseason.

Martial arts experts are quite well versed in the ways one can use one’s hands to win a physical confrontation. With that in mind, it kind of makes a heck of a lot of sense that the New England Patriots are hiring a martial arts expert as a pass-rushing consultant this year.

“The team is hiring martial arts expert Joe Kim as a pass-rushing consultant for the 2018 season, according to a league source,” wrote Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Monday. Kim is a Cleveland-area “taekwondo master,” per the report, who has worked with the likes of Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, among others.

The Patriots are always looking for ways to get ahead of the competition, some more…um…legal than others. This is a perfectly reasonable way to improve the team’s pass-rushing stats, which were mediocre last year. New England’s defense ranked 16th in the league with 34 sacks in 2017, and the team’s issues rushing the passer were a big reason James Harrison was signed late in the season.

Kim has also spent time helping other teams. Being from Cleveland, he’s had three stints with the Browns and also worked for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and the Penn State football program.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: