FOXBOROUGH - You're not the only one who hasn't enjoyed this Patriots season. Drake Maye didn't sign up to be 3-10 coming out of the bye, either.
"Nobody wants a season like this year again, you know? I think two years in a row of seasons like this, and you start to worry," he said. "So there's definitely some urgency - you see it, especially in the veterans, and especially me, as the quarterback, there's an urgency to get to that point. And you'll fix these things, or work on them, get better, and use these last four games as a stepping stool."
We've written many times in this space, including the last several days, about the importance for this team — front office, coaches, players — to finish this lost season strong. There is no time to think about that trip to Cabo here in December. There should be time for one thing and one thing only - improving, thereby stating your case to remain a part of this rebuild.
"Do you want bust your ass for your teammates, or do you want to get ready for the offseason?" asked Austin Hooper earlier this week.
Hooper would know. He's been in the situation a couple of times in his previous spots. If anyone could spot the signs of a wandering eye, if you will, it's him.
"It just comes down to personal choice," said the veteran tight end. "Are you looking for what vacation you want to go on, or do you want to be a professional and handle your business? So that's a decision we all have to make individually."
Hunter Henry has also been in this spot as recently as last year, in the same building, albeit under different leadership. He does not feel the need to address the room about what's at stake, instead opting to lead by example.
"I try to show how invested I am in it, and hopefully, other guys can feed off that if they are struggling in that department," he said. "But I wouldn't say we have a locker room like that."
That last part remains to be seen. Yes, the Pats have been more competitive since ending a six-game losing streak in late October — losing a game in overtime (20-17 to the Titans), another by six points (28-22, Rams), and also by one (25-24, Colts) the last time we saw them play in anger. But there are no medals for trying in this sport.
“We’ve been pushing and making progress in areas despite what our record may indicate," added Hooper. "So it’s just an opportunity to keep this young team — we’ve gotta just keep pushing it the right way."
History has shown us plenty of examples of losing teams growing late in the year and using that as a jumping-off point for the off-season and the following year. It happened here under Bill Parcells in the 90's and with Dan Campbell in Detroit a few years ago. Maye said watching meaningful games this weekend definitely whetted his appetite for being able to play in higher stakes games as soon as possible.
"No doubt, especially when you haven't felt it," he said. "I haven't experienced a playoff game. And you always hear about what it's been in the past years with playoff games and the environment here in Gillette, and the advantage of us bringing teams that may not be more accustomed to the cold and the cold weather. Watching Tom and those guys duke it out and those runs they had were special.
"I think you want that feeling. And some of those guys in the locker room had it, but a lot of us young guys haven't. So I think we're striving for that and can use these last four games as a challenge, and, you know, as a step to, hey, what do we have...and who can help us, and who can make some plays."
ODDS AND ENDS
Cole Strange has been put on the 53-man roster, filling the spot of released wide receiver K.J. Osborn ("a mutual decision"). Could a scenario exist where the former first-rounder splits reps in-game with Ben Brown at center?
"Yeah, it's tough to say," said Jerod Mayo. "Especially early in the season, even through the midway point in the season, we've always talked about continuity up front. So, that's really – I don't want to say that's off the table, but it's a hard question to answer."
Strange has been working primarily as center, even dating back to the spring when he was still rehabbing his knee injury.
Speaking of Mayo, I'm curious if he's been more involved with the defense as the season has gone along. Remember, he has repeatedly stated that he wants to let his coaches coach, and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington was his hand-picked choice to run that unit (unlike Alex Van Pelt, an Elliot Wolf hire).
"I spend a lot of time with the defense," he responded. "I do agree; during the game, I'm still talking to those guys over the headset. Just because I'm not over there doesn't mean I'm not involved. So, I'm in those meetings, in the game plan meetings, and look, we just have to play better."
How exactly do they do that?
"I think just as a whole, we just need to go out there and play together. We need to do a better job communicating and fly around. Again, we're paid to tackle the guy with the football, and that's going to be our number one priority this week."
Lastly, there was a lot of chatter about Bill Belichick possibly being the next head coach at the University of North Carolina.
"Anytime you have a legendary NFL coach going back to college, I think it's cool," said UNC product Maye. "It's pretty interesting for me. I think it's not official yet. So I think, coach Belichick would love Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill is a great spot."
Maye said he's been concentrating on his team and hasn't contacted anyone involved with the program. Kendrick Bourne thinks his former coach would do a "good job developing players," but the wide receiver's message to those kids is to have a "gritty mindset" while reminding them, "don't miss class."