Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Kendrick Bourne gives his take on reports of Patriots’ ‘unbothered’ locker room
"I think there’s a balance to it. Not taking it as a joke. It’s not funny to lose."
The Patriots put together arguably their worst performance of the season on Sunday against the Dolphins, giving up 31 unanswered points en route to a 34-15 loss at Hard Rock Stadium.
To add insult to injury, several reporters on site at Miami Gardens took note of a Patriots locker room that seemingly wasn’t dispirited after an uncompetitive performance.
“Just around the corner [from Maye’s presser], it was a different scene with several players on offense smiling and laughing with one another,” MassLive’s Mark Daniels wrote. “It was a strange scene for a team that was embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins. Although not everyone was happy — several players were upset — the sounds of light laughter filled the side of the room where offensive players got dressed.”
Advertisement:
“I would say my biggest takeaway from being in the locker room was that I thought … I thought that the locker room seemed to be unbothered by today’s result,” Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard added on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I was surprised. Maybe it’s because it was 31-0 and they had been thinking about it for a while, had come to realize the battle was lost earlier on.”
While both Jerod Mayo and Hunter Henry pushed back against those reports earlier this week, veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne offered up a unique perspective on New England’s lighter mood on Sunday.
Advertisement:
“I look at losing, we have to learn from it,” Bourne told MassLive’s Chris Mason on Wednesday. “We’ve gotta use it in a certain way. I’ve seen the reports about us laughing or whatever. I don’t really know. But I think it’s a mindset. We can’t be pouting around also. We can’t just hold on to bad things. We have to move on.
“So I think there’s a balance to it. Not taking it as a joke. It’s not funny to lose. It’s not a joke at all. But there’s also a balance of, we can’t hold on to the past and let our mistakes, let the losses affect this week. So I think of that as balance. We take it serious. We want to be better. But, also not let it affect us moving forward.”
While players like Drake Maye were understandably downtrodden while fielding questions at the podium on Sunday, Bourne stressed that a locker room filled with different personalities can process a loss in a variety of ways.
Advertisement:
“Everybody takes it different,” Bourne said. “I always try to think positive. So I kinda can move on fast. But I do take it to heart. I do go look in the mirror and honestly tell myself if I played good enough or bad enough. If I did anything to help the team. So if we evaluate it honestly, if we’re being transparent with ourselves, I think that’s the best way to look at it.
“But everybody is different. Some might just be mad for a week and that’s how they move. I’m not mad at that player or this player. If my teammate is smiling and happy and my other teammate is mad, I know (one) personality from building a relationship with him and I know (the other) personality from building a relationship with him. So I don’t look at it as that. I just look at it as I know my teammate.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com