This season has been an abject disaster for the Patriots, one that can't end soon enough. The locker room on Thursday had the feel of the last week of class. Lots of laughter. Lots of screwing around. That's not a judgment. It's been a handful of days since the Chargers embarrassed the Pats on the Gillette Stadium turf, and I don't expect the players to walk around with sour pusses on.
Plus, something is afoot with the quarterbacks, where Drake Maye is clearly healthy enough to play, but it's looking increasingly like Joe Milton will get plenty of reps in Sunday's finale. That doesn't exactly back up the statement from Jerod Mayo earlier in the week that the Pats were playing to win the game.
So, I shouldn't be surprised by the tone and tact that linebacker Jahlani Tavai took this morning on the Greg Hill Show on WEEI. He was asked if he was as frustrated with the fans booing and calling for Mayo's job as some of his teammates (Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise) were.
"I was. Of course," responded Tavai.
A long pause followed. Tavai was searching for a way to express himself or find the right words.
"I don't know. I was frustrated. I definitely think I told a fan to quiet down in a non-polite way."
Former NFL player and now co-host of the show, Jermaine Wiggins, stepped in, asking Tavai if he could see/understand why the fans at Saturday's 40-7 loss would be showing their anger when the product was so poor.
"There's a reason why they're fans," said Tavai. "Everybody can say what they think we should be doing, but in the long end, they're not qualified to do what Mayo is doing or whatever the Krafts are doing. They're fans, I appreciate them at times, but sometimes they just gotta know their place and just understand that it's a work in progress. Rome wasn't built in one day."
Tavai then did what several Patriots players and coaches have done in recent weeks, comparing this group to the Detroit Lions. After a miserable first season under that new regime - a team that Tavai was a part of during training camp - the Lions have now climbed to the top of the NFL mountain, entering this weekend with a 14-2 record and a chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
"There's been teams that have shown a work in progress team like the Lions, what, four years ago when Dan Campbell took over," he said. "What was their record? Do you guys remember what their record was? (3-13). Oh, OK. And then these past two years — like, I'm not trying to compare, but that's a goal that we're trying to develop here in this new regime. That's the vision to get to how the Lions are improving. That's the type of team that we see ourselves at as a playoff contender, and unfortunately, that's not like this year."
Of course, the comparison is hardly apples to apples. The Lions pieced together a 3-3 record over the final six games, laying the foundation for the rise. Meanwhile, the Pats have been stuffed into a locker, losing six straight for a second time this year.
