FOXBORO — They call him “Dr. Gibby.”
Patriots linebacker Jack Gibbens earned the nickname when he was a rookie with the Tennessee Titans in 2022, when he already knew all of the answers to then-head coach Mike Vrabel’s pop quizzes. Vrabel liked working with Gibbens so much that when he got hired as head coach of the Patriots this offseason, he signed the veteran linebacker as a free agent.
Gibbens began the season in a backup role but has ended up starting five games already this season, and he’s likely to start another one this week with starter Robert Spillane dealing with an ankle injury.
Despite primarily serving in a backup capacity, Gibbens ranks fifth on the team with 61 tackles and fourth with six tackles for loss. He also has two pass breakups, two QB hits and a sack while also working as a core special teams player.
Learn more about Gibbens, who majored in accounting, not medicine, in the latest installment of our new Patriots Q&A series.
What’s your first football memory?
I started playing football when I was like four or five years old, so I definitely remember playing flag football. My dad and my older brother were my coaches, and just spending a lot of time with them — practices, games, all that in the car. Just a lot of good memories there.
How much older is your brother?
He’s like 16 years older than me. So, yeah, quite a bit older.
What was your top high school football memory?
I would say my favorite game was my senior year when we beat Judson (High School in Converse, Texas) at home. They just knocked us (Smithson Valley High School in Bulverde, Texas) out of the playoffs the year before, and we beat them pretty good my senior year at home. So that was a lot of fun.
What’s your top college football memory?
I would say my year at Minnesota, when we beat Wisconsin at home in the last game of the year to win the (Paul Bunyan’s) Axe. Playing in a big rivalry game like that, fans stormed the field and all that. It was pretty sweet.
What made Minnesota special for you?
Just being there one year, I felt like it was a great family atmosphere. I felt really close to those guys, felt like we had a great bond and good culture there. It’s a great program, and they really made me feel welcome. It felt like I wasn’t just there for 12 months with those guys. It was a great, great environment.
What made Abilene Christian special for you as well?
I would say the people I met some of my best friends there, and great coaches, great players. Just a bunch of good people there, both in football and also on the academic section, like great teachers, friends, everything like that. They were just really good people.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a football player?
Man, that’s hard to say. I think about that all the time. Probably coaching football.
Is that something you want to do afterwards too?
I think so. I’m not really quite sure yet. We’ll focus on Plan A right now. We’ll figure it out.
Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
I’m a big Spurs fan, growing up in San Antonio. That’s kind of all we really had. So, I would say Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker. Those guys were the people I was definitely fanning out over.
What’s your favorite movie?
Oh, that’s hard when you don’t pick a genre or anything. Maybe “The Other Guys.”
Do you have a favorite musical artist?
Same thing with music, I like to listen to a lot of different genres. But being from Texas, probably country more than anything. I would say Zach Bryan would be my top guy.
Who have you been closest with on the team so far?
I think our whole team is really connected. The linebacker room, especially. I think we’ve got a great family in there. So I would say all those guys in the linebacker room.
Who’s the funniest player on the team?
Maybe (practice squad wide receiver Jeremiah) Webb. He’s hilarious.
What do you like most about the New England region so far?
I love the history and just the feel here. It feels historically significant. The weather in the summer was unbelievable, like having the coastal towns. Everything is kind of easy to get to. I grew up in Texas where it’s like a five-hour drive to anything, so it was cool to explore a little bit, go down the Cape, go to Rhode Island, do some stuff like that. That was cool.
Is there a player across the league you feel is underrated or underappreciated?
There are a lot of good players out there, but I’d say right now Nate Landman, linebacker for the Rams. He’s been getting the ball out at a really high rate, which is a huge deal. That impacts games in a big way. The way he’s been attacking the football has been pretty awesome.
Do you have a hidden talent?
I can juggle.
Is there a topic you think you know more about than anyone else in the locker room?
Definitely accounting. I studied that in school, and not many people know anything about that.
