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Patriots DT criticizes teammates after lackluster effort vs. Jaguars originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The finger-pointing in the New England Patriots locker room continued after the team’s latest demoralizing defeat.
Pats defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale made some eye-opening comments about his teammates following Sunday’s 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
“Jerod (Mayo) just said everybody gotta check their ego when they come in. And I agree with him,” Ekuale told reporters. “I feel like a lot of guys think too highly of themselves, and have to check their ego and come in and just play as a team.
“I feel like if we play as a team nobody can stop us. But if we go out there and do our own thing, and play outside of the scheme, that’s when we get beat.”
Ekuale isn’t the only Patriots defender who feels this way. Earlier this month, fellow defensive tackle Davon Godchaux labeled certain unnamed teammates “selfish.”
These concerning criticisms point to deeper issues, which our Patriots Postgame Live crew discussed after the loss.
“Usually, a defensive lineman, very rarely do they know what the heck corners and safeties are doing. They usually keep it to guys in the front seven,” former Pats linebacker Ted Johnson said. “So my feeling is he’s probably being critical of someone in the front seven, maybe someone at his position. …
“You start to wonder, is it somebody in their position group? But now players are calling out other players, so this is another kind of brick in the wall of what has become a very dysfunctional team.”
Patriots insider Tom E. Curran believes there could be a divide in the locker room between the veterans and the young guns.
“I just think the ego thing is very interesting to watch,” he said. “Not just in the context of who is being checked by Daniel Ekuale, but in the context of you see it on offense. You see it with Ja’Lynn Polk, ego involving itself in saying, ‘I have the best hands in the league.’ Or Javon Baker….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-dt-calls-teammates-lackluster-185456549.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-10-20 19:12:22
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