Are changes coming to the Patriots? Keion White hopes so.
"NFL is a production-based business, so if we're not doing anything to change our production, which is loss, what are we doing?"
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Keion White was outspoken earlier in the week about his frustrations with himself and the Patriots this season. On Saturday, the defensive end doubled down on his comments.
Despite Jerod Mayo saying that he had a ‘great’ conversation with White about his previous comments, the second-year defender was extremely outspoken about wanting changes made to New England this offseason.
Though he didn’t get specific about what he wanted changed, it seemed clear White was taking a shot at at least one member of the Patriots coaching staff, be it DeMarcus Covington, who’s New England’s defensive coordinator, or Mayo himself.
Here’s White’s response when a reporter asked him if “major changes are coming?”:
“I mean, I hope so,” White said. “If changes aren’t made, then what are we doing? Again, NFL is a production-based business, so if we’re not doing anything to change our production, which is loss, what are we doing?”
When asked to elaborate on the changes, White said “It’s not for me to decide.”
Not exactly a glowing review of the Patriots from one of the promising young players New England seemed poised to build on. But, White’s frustrations likely stem from another poor performance from a regressing Patriots defense.
On Saturday, the Chargers marked the third team this season to record their season-high in points against New England’s defense. Covington and Mayo have cited a litany of issues, including fundamentals and tackling, as reasons for the poor results on that side of the ball.
Despite allowing 40 points and over 400 yards to LA, Mayo remained behind his defensive coordinator postgame.
“Look, I have nothing but confidence in the coaching staff, and we’ll get better,” Mayo said. “That’s part of what we have to do.”
Count White as one of many frustrated faces in Foxborough. During Saturday’s contest, a “Fire Mayo” chant broke out on more than one occasion as New England struggled to be competitive against a playoff-bound opponent.
It’s been widely believed that at the very least, Mayo will get a second year at the helm in New England. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did note that could change if he loses the locker room or the Patriots completely collapse at the end of the season.
Well, White doesn’t speak for the entire locker room, but his feelings would indicate at least a small divide among players. And a 40-7 loss doesn’t exactly seal Mayo’s fate in the right direction heading into Week 18.
Through all the ambiguity, there’s one thing becoming abundantly clear in New England: The Krafts will have a lot of assessing to do involving every facet of the Patriots this offseason.
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