The Patriots need to grow up.
We started getting inklings of maturity issues weeks back, when Davon Godchaux told WEEI the Patriots had “guys being kind of selfish” on New England’s defense.
“Everybody has to play as 11, and everybody has to sacrifice to do what's best for the team,” he told ‘Jones and Keefe’ on October 1st.
Since then, individual agendas appear to have caused fractures throughout the 1-6 team.
Veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said he sees his teammates “being too individualized.”
“Football is the ultimate team sport. It’s tough. As a leader, I’ve had to tell the young guys, how I’ve even gotten to this point was being a team guy. I’m not thinking about myself all the time, and it’s tough.
It’s not easy. It’s easy to say, but it’s hard when you’re out there running 30 routes, and you don’t get the ball sometimes,” he said.
“You could say lack of maturity, it just takes time,” he confirmed.
The team held a meeting Thursday morning in which they addressed self-accountability off the field, according to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. It came days after veteran cornerback Jon Jones had choice words for his locker room immediately following the 21-16 loss to the lowly Jaguars in London Sunday. In the 72 hours that followed, the Patriots had to reckon with Jerod Mayo’s “soft” comment, a vague social media post from rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and reported quotes from other receivers about not getting the ball enough and whether they wish to be traded.
When asked whether part of the team’s problem is younger guys who don’t understand the standards set by previous New England teams, Jones answered:
“I think you can say that. I think guys just not understanding, either you don’t know how to do it or you’re not willing to do it. I don’t think guys aren’t willing. Guys show up, they give effort. I think it’s more buying in and learning what it looks like to be a successful team.”
The Patriots’ immaturity can’t just be blamed on age. They’re not a top-10 youngest team in the league. They’ve lost captains to injury and off-field charges. The culture is spoiling because the losses look worse week-to-week, and now they’re all paddling a canoe in individual directions, spinning in a circle. Bourne’s comments suggest selfishness on the part of guys who may not know better, but Jones’ are much more alarming, because they’re about tuning out rather than buying in. That’s a commentary on leadership and has to reflect coaching.
In all this immaturity talk, there’s one guy whose name commands respect throughout the locker room, and that’s rookie Drake Maye. The quarterback who was critiqued as being on the younger, less experienced end of his rookie quarterback class has been praised as a consummate professional, decisive, and commanding by veterans and fellow young guys alike. Maye’s had a tough onramp into the NFL, but hasn’t uttered a word close to a complaint.
If the team seeks a role model, they might benefit from looking at the rookie in shotgun. The kid’s been the only bright spot for the team in the last two weeks, and he’s acting like the adult in the room.