FOXBOROUGH - Jabril Peppers and Hunter Henry have been two of the most robust and consistent voices in the Patriots locker room this year. They have stood at the podium or in front of their lockers and answered repeated questions about this team, how they've gotten to this point, and if they can find their way out. They have managed to do it without an edge, even though you would certainly understand if that side showed up occasionally. On Sunday, after the Pats' 11th loss of the season, both men politely declined to speak, Henry hurriedly exiting while Peppers remained in partial uniform, walking from the training room to the equipment room and back to his locker, all with a blank stare on his face. At that moment, all I could think was this season had finally broken two of the team's toughest and most competitive players.
Contrast those two with the vibe in other corners of the locker room. A little too much smiling. A bit too much laughter. It wasn't as if a party had broken out. Still, just 15 minutes removed from getting dominated in the second half, this wasn't the feeling that almost always emanated from a losing Patriots locker room. Then, it was anger, disappointment, and a resolve to make sure they didn't feel the same thing the following week. Yesterday in Foxborough, the feeling was resignation and something else, something that I found distasteful. It's been trending that way for a while; certain players are too satisfied with their own level of play, long since unconcerned or unbothered by the team's end result. It's been a long time since the Pats have found themselves here, even as recent seasons haven't lived up to previous standards. But here they are, and what a train wreck it's been.
They are the same team they've been for the entirety of this season. For starters, they just aren't talented enough. It's not just the quarterback position that has undone them, but the offensive line, save for a couple spots, the wide receivers (nailed that one), an $8 million pass catcher (Mike Gesicki) who's been on the side of a milk carton since the start of training camp, and a revolving door at cornerback that has generated some good and some not so good. They have a rookie kicker who can't make field goals and special team-only players who aren't that special. Brenden Schooler leads the league in missed tackles and penalties.
Earlier this year, I wrote about the mercenary-type feel to this team and how some of the more highly paid voices weren't the most accountable. This is what happens when you no longer have a winning culture. That's a phrase I've heard a lot in recent weeks from those covering the team and some inside the building, but I think that's comical. That culture doesn't exist anymore. It may have ended the day Tom Brady left or, if you argue hard enough, during Mac's rookie season.
But now? Please. Winning leads to a winning culture, and this team hasn't won enough. 7 victories in 2020. 10 in 2021, but a terrible close to the season and a 30-point loss in Buffalo in their lone playoff game. 8 a season ago against a schedule littered with Patsies and backup quarterbacks, and now three lonely victories this year. Take your winning culture argument and shelve it. It's not accepted in this space by yours truly.
The Patriots are entering a multi-year rebuild, and regardless of who is choosing the players and evaluating the coaching staff, they need to find more players who give a damn about team success and don't view themselves as independent contractors, even if that can be the nature of the beast.
Perhaps that's unavoidable when this Pats season has spiraled out of control, but how players carry themselves in these moments speaks a ton about who they are and what they are about. And right now, there are a few too many who, as of yesterday, showed their true colors, and that's something that needs to be addressed going forward, if not by the possibly dead-man walking coaching staff, by the players who run that room. I can promise you this - if Brady were still here, that's how it would play (of course, it would never have gotten to this point in the first place but I digress). Ditto for Devin McCourty. Or Julian Edelman. Or Dont'a Hightower. Should I continue? That connection between a glorious past and an unthinkable and unsuccessful present no longer exists, and it's why the Pats are no longer the franchise every other wants to emulate, but just another bottom feeder in need of a reset. Buckle in because it could get worse before it gets better.