Price: Patriots' captains play vital role helping guide roster through rocky stretch

FOXBOROUGH — It’s a weird time for the Patriots. Back-to-back December defeats. Sudden personnel losses. And as the playoffs loom, more doubters than ever.

While the coaching staff can provide guidance, its stretches like this that are an absolutely vital time for the team captains. These are the guys who call the players-only meetings. They are the ones who guide what Tom Brady called recently the “tough conversations,” And they are the ones who are occasionally tasked with the job of helping right the ship.

I talked one-on-one with James White, David Andrews, and Matthew Slater — three of the six team captains — about how their job changes when the team hits a rocky stretch.

All three point to different elements that are important when it comes to leadership in these sorts of moments, but the one thing they keep coming back to is consistency. Be true to who you are as a leader — if you’re an emotional guy, let that come through. If you prefer to lead by example, stay true to your approach. But don’t try to be something or someone you’re not.

“You can’t come in here and be the rah-rah guy if you’re not that guy,” said Andrews. “That’s not your job. That’s not your place. You have to be who you are. Guys will see right through it if you try and do something that’s not true to your style.

“(But) you have to stay positive. You have to stay on the course. You can’t mail it in or anything like that, or get down. That doesn’t mean you’re happy with the performance. I think it’s important to keep guys fresh and keep them up,” he added. “We have had some tough times here the past two weeks, but I think everyone in (the locker) room is old enough and experienced enough to understand that.”