Marquis Flowers: Full offseason in Patriots' system will provide big boost for me heading into '18

Last year, linebacker Marquis Flowers was fundamentally thrown into the deep end of the pool and told to start swimming.

Flowers was one of a few guys who showed up just before the start of the 2017 season. Dealt to the Patriots from Cincinnati last August 29, he was in the lineup nine days later for the regular-season opener against the Chiefs. A late arrival means you’re playing catch-up all season long, but Flowers was part of a group that included Cassius Marsh, Johnson Bademosi, Phillip Dorsett and Kenny Britt -- guys who were picked up either just before the season or in the middle of the year, and were forced to learn on the fly.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound linebacker enjoyed some success in the system — primarily a special teamer, he also ended up seeing significant snaps on defense after the injury to Dont’a Hightower. Over the second half of the season, he played in at least 30 percent of the defensive snaps in every game except one, and finished the year with 23 tackles and a career-high 3.5 sacks.

In the eyes of the Patriots, it was good enough to warrant a new contract. But by his own admission, it was tough sledding for him all season long.

“The coaches did a hell of a job getting me ready to play last year,” he told BostonSportsJournal.com. “But there were times where they would be going over something and they’d say ‘This is something we talked about in OTAs’ and it would come up in Week 8. I wasn’t the only one that happened to."

“Now, I know the little stuff. I was jumbled at times last year because I came in so late — I look back, and there were times where I was playing off my athletic ability. Now, I know the system.”

Heading into 2018, he feels good about where he is when it comes to the mental and physical aspects of the game. His background in the defense, his working relationship with de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the fact he now has close to a full year with the Patriots under his belt are all in his favor when you start to assemble a depth chart for the upcoming season.

At the same time, he’s well aware that nothing is guaranteed. The return of Hightower will mean less snaps this season than in 2017 for everyone. In addition, rookie linebackers Christian Sam and Ja’Whaun Bentley could also challenge incumbents like Flowers and Elandon Roberts for playing time in 2018.

But he believes the foundation for a good season has been laid with some valuable work in the OTA sessions. The next stage? Taking it to the next level at training camp.

“Now that Dont’a is back and everybody is working together, it’s great,” he said. “For me, there’s always room for improvement, and OTAs was where I was trying to improve my game and improve myself as a player. I changed a few things as a player from last year. Basically, it felt good to be back out there, running around with the guys. I’m really looking forward to camp.”