On Thursday, Patriots.com senior writer Evan Lazar took to his “Catch-22” podcast to talk about the dysfunction he’s been observing in the Patriots locker room.
“Right now, they’re teetering on a mutiny in that locker room,” said Lazar on the show produced by Kraft Sports + Entertainment.
“And I don’t want to be alarmist or hyperbolic, I don’t. But I was in that locker room after the game on Sunday [in San Francisco]. The defense is mad at the defense. The offense is mad at the offense. You have young receivers who are literally throwing tantrums on film in Pop Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk - and good on Pop Douglas for owning that this week and kind of saying that he’s got to be better and all that kind of stuff.
“But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. You’re at the point now with 52 other guys in that locker room that all watch these two quarterbacks practice every single day, that all know that they drafted Drake Maye third overall. And at what point in time does some of these guys say to themselves, ‘Why am I going out there and getting my butt kicked every single Sunday and Drake can’t? Why am I going out there with a quarterback who can’t get me the football when we have the Ferrari back in the garage that can get me the football?’”
Since this podcast was originally posted, the full quote has been edited to disinclude the part of Lazar’s comment where he mentions the impending “mutiny.”
But as we’ve learned many times in the past - once something happens on the internet, it basically lives forever. Clips of Lazar’s comments are still circulating online, and have been replayed on sports talk radio around town for almost 24 hours.
On Friday, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked to respond to his coworker's comments during his morning press conference ahead of practice.
“My focus is definitely on the Dolphins, 100%, and the guys in the locker room,” said Mayo, referencing his team’s upcoming Week 5 opponent. “So I haven’t heard that, and that’s journalism for you. I’m not sure.”
Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald clarified with Mayo, “That’s from the team, so I wanted to check with another team employee here.”
“No, like I said, I haven’t heard that,” Mayo replied. “I try not to pay attention to that stuff. You gotta ask him.”
While Mayo wanted no part of the “mutiny” discussion, he did not shy away from the inherent frustration surrounding his 1-3 football team.
“I mean, it’s always frustrating when you’re not winning,” said Mayo. “The guys put a lot of work in, and everyone wants to try and find a solution right now while we’re going through this transition. So people are definitely frustrated, and that’s a normal human response.
“I feel pretty good about the way that we’re going. I used the analogy this morning - it’s almost like flying through clouds but you have to use the instruments instead of really being able to take it to the clear sky.”
Mayo reiterated a point he has made many times in recent weeks - he anticipated these types of struggles ahead of accepting this job in January.
“When I took this job, I knew our lumps would come,” said Mayo. “It’s part of the transition.”
The lumps have been on full display throughout his team’s three-game losing streak, as the offensive line has allowed 16 sacks, and the defense has given up an average of 396.3 yards per game. Both sides of the ball are struggling mightily at the moment.
This game with the Dolphins could not have come at a better time for New England, as Miami has been dealing with their own set of struggles the last three weeks in the absence of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The normally explosive Miami offense is only averaging 266.66 yards per game without their starting QB, and have only scored an average of just over 8 points a game.
With the Patriots having the home field advantage in Week 5, they’re currently receiving the nod as the betting favorite in this matchup. BetMGM has New England as 1-point favorite, while FanDuel has them at 1.5. Both books have both teams listed with minus-odds on the moneyline (-110 at BetMGM, -116 at FanDuel).
A get-right game for New England would certainly help quell any burgeoning mutinies in the offing at 1 Patriot Place.