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THURSDAY MAY 7, 2009 Last modified: Friday, May 1, 2009 2:20 AM EDT 
2009 NFL draft pick Patrick Chung is introduced to the Boston media. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) Chung proud to be a Patriot
BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
FOXBORO - Although he is part of the Patriots' future, Patrick Chung was quick to embrace the team's past on Thursday.
The safety from Oregon, accepting the ceremonial jersey from team owner Robert Kraft as the first player chosen by the team in this year's draft, was pleased to accept one of the red "throwback" jerseys that the Patriots will be wearing in four games this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary season.
He was even wearing a "Pat Patriot" hat - although he quickly swapped it for a Flying Elvis version when he spoke to the media inside the Gillette Stadium press box. In any event, the young Californian (by way of Jamaica) appeared poised and ready to embrace all things Boston.
"I love it," he said. "I love the mood. You can tell it's a big sports town, and the Patriots are a very good football team and have been for numerous years. I'm blessed to be on this team and I'll try to make the best impact I can."
Chung, who will be 22 when training camp is in full swing this August, said all the right things at his first press conference, and there was an unmistakable sincerity about it. He knows he has a certain level of talent and intensity that got him to this point, but he also knows that he has a lot of work to do to prove himself worthy of playing time.
"That's the goal I have," he said. "It's all hard work ... I'm going to work hard every day. Weight room, film room, practice field, everything. Hopefully I'll get the chance to get on the field and make an impact. Hopefully, Coach (Bill Belichick) will give me the opportunity, and if I do, I'll take full advantage."
A four-year starter at Oregon who finished his degree requirements in political science in December, Chung revels in his reputation as a hard-hitting safety. But he also knows that there has to be a certain intelligence to his aggression.
"You can strike fear into people," he said. "You can change a player's perspective on a game. But you have to know when to hit, also. You can't be just a big hitter. You have to know when to hit, when to break down and tackle and bring them down.
"I'm a smart tackler," he said. "But it can change a game. One hit can change a whole offense."
Chung certainly is a unique player in more ways than one. His mother, Sophie George, was a popular reggae recording artist in Jamaica in the mid-1980s, and his father, Ronald, was her producer and manager. And as team owner Robert Kraft pointed out at the jersey presentation (which took place in the southwest end zone plaza of Gillette Stadium because the field is being prepared for this weekend's arrival of the Dalai Lama), Chung is the first player of Chinese and Jamaican descent to play for the Patriots.
He shares a surname with another former top pick of the Patriots, offensive guard Eugene Chung of Virginia Tech (selected in the first round in 1992), who was of Korean descent.
The dream of someday playing in the NFL had a gradual evolution, Chung said, because as a youngster from Jamaica, he played soccer in his youth and wasn't introduced to American football until his freshman year at Rancho Cucamonga High School.
"My main concern was just that I wanted to go to college," he said. "Then when I got into college, it was like, 'hey, I'm playing pretty good ... maybe I can get to the next level.'
"I started thinking about how I could take care of my family," he said. "My Mom and Dad sacrificed for me, and it's time for me to return the favor and for them to be proud of their son graduating, first of all, and being at the next level."
He'd like to have the opportunity to be mentored by Rodney Harrison, although that may not happen. Harrison, recovering from a torn quadriceps muscle in his right leg suffered last Oct. 20 against Denver, is a free agent and has said he will decide by June 1 whether he intends to return to NFL play.
That did not deter Chung from showing the proper respect to the 15-year veteran, even referring to him as "Mr. Harrison" in one of his responses.
"He's one of the best," Chung said. "He could teach me everything he's learned for ... I don't know how long he's been playing for. It would be a great honor, for him to teach me everything he knows. When you learn from the best and you practice how the best have practiced, you have no choice but to become a leader and be the best player out there."
2009 NFL draft pick Patrick Chung is introduced to the Boston media. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) Chung proud to be a PatriotBY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
FOXBORO - Although he is part of the Patriots' future, Patrick Chung was quick to embrace the team's past on Thursday.
The safety from Oregon, accepting the ceremonial jersey from team owner Robert Kraft as the first player chosen by the team in this year's draft, was pleased to accept one of the red "throwback" jerseys that the Patriots will be wearing in four games this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary season.
He was even wearing a "Pat Patriot" hat - although he quickly swapped it for a Flying Elvis version when he spoke to the media inside the Gillette Stadium press box. In any event, the young Californian (by way of Jamaica) appeared poised and ready to embrace all things Boston.
"I love it," he said. "I love the mood. You can tell it's a big sports town, and the Patriots are a very good football team and have been for numerous years. I'm blessed to be on this team and I'll try to make the best impact I can."
Chung, who will be 22 when training camp is in full swing this August, said all the right things at his first press conference, and there was an unmistakable sincerity about it. He knows he has a certain level of talent and intensity that got him to this point, but he also knows that he has a lot of work to do to prove himself worthy of playing time.
"That's the goal I have," he said. "It's all hard work ... I'm going to work hard every day. Weight room, film room, practice field, everything. Hopefully I'll get the chance to get on the field and make an impact. Hopefully, Coach (Bill Belichick) will give me the opportunity, and if I do, I'll take full advantage."
A four-year starter at Oregon who finished his degree requirements in political science in December, Chung revels in his reputation as a hard-hitting safety. But he also knows that there has to be a certain intelligence to his aggression.
"You can strike fear into people," he said. "You can change a player's perspective on a game. But you have to know when to hit, also. You can't be just a big hitter. You have to know when to hit, when to break down and tackle and bring them down.
"I'm a smart tackler," he said. "But it can change a game. One hit can change a whole offense."
Chung certainly is a unique player in more ways than one. His mother, Sophie George, was a popular reggae recording artist in Jamaica in the mid-1980s, and his father, Ronald, was her producer and manager. And as team owner Robert Kraft pointed out at the jersey presentation (which took place in the southwest end zone plaza of Gillette Stadium because the field is being prepared for this weekend's arrival of the Dalai Lama), Chung is the first player of Chinese and Jamaican descent to play for the Patriots.
He shares a surname with another former top pick of the Patriots, offensive guard Eugene Chung of Virginia Tech (selected in the first round in 1992), who was of Korean descent.
The dream of someday playing in the NFL had a gradual evolution, Chung said, because as a youngster from Jamaica, he played soccer in his youth and wasn't introduced to American football until his freshman year at Rancho Cucamonga High School.
"My main concern was just that I wanted to go to college," he said. "Then when I got into college, it was like, 'hey, I'm playing pretty good ... maybe I can get to the next level.'
"I started thinking about how I could take care of my family," he said. "My Mom and Dad sacrificed for me, and it's time for me to return the favor and for them to be proud of their son graduating, first of all, and being at the next level."
He'd like to have the opportunity to be mentored by Rodney Harrison, although that may not happen. Harrison, recovering from a torn quadriceps muscle in his right leg suffered last Oct. 20 against Denver, is a free agent and has said he will decide by June 1 whether he intends to return to NFL play.
That did not deter Chung from showing the proper respect to the 15-year veteran, even referring to him as "Mr. Harrison" in one of his responses.
"He's one of the best," Chung said. "He could teach me everything he's learned for ... I don't know how long he's been playing for. It would be a great honor, for him to teach me everything he knows. When you learn from the best and you practice how the best have practiced, you have no choice but to become a leader and be the best player out there."
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