Patriots DT calls out 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. …
“Younger players. It’s a different time in the league, and I think that Bill (Belichick) had one way of operating that players apparently bristled at, but the way Jerod is dealing with it and allowing players to be more themselves, there’s bristling from guys who are in their late 20s, early 30s who are saying, ‘These kids today.’
While Godchaux and Ekuale have important roles along the defensive front, Pats insider Phil Perry worries that their words are going in one ear and out the other. In the post-Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, New England lacks a bonafide star or leader capable of getting players on the same page.
“The problem for me is this,” Perry said. “We just talked earlier in the show about players needing to self-police. They need to hold each other accountable so that they can up their games as individuals. But the problem is it’s Daniel Ekuale or even Davon Godchaux and Jonathan Jones.
“Are those words going to resonate with whoever these players are that have the big egos, that think too highly of themselves? Or are they going to ring hollow?”
New England’s defense was a glaring issue throughout Sunday’s game. Jacksonville had a field day in the run game with 171 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. At one point, the Patriots looked helpless as the Jags ran the ball down their throat on 17 consecutive plays.
They’ll look to snap their six-game losing skid – their longest since 1993 – next Sunday against the New York Jets.
Watch our Postgame Live crew’s full discussion about Ekuale’s comments below or on YouTube:
