NOISE CONTROL
DISTRACTIONS? What distractions? Did you think the Patriots were going to wilt from the fallout resulting from a controversial ESPN.com story that chronicled acrimony and division among the franchise’s three pillars — quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft — days before their first postseason game? Shame on you. If you’re a chowder-slurping, red, white and blue flag-bearing member of Patriots Nation, you should know better by now.
Remember the adverse effect Spygate had on the Patriots? Well, none whatsoever. Remember the adverse effect Deflategate had on the Patriots? None then, either. So don’t expect Egogate to derail this team, which is on a mission to defend its Super Bowl title and hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in the last four years.
If Patriots 35, Titans 14 in Saturday night’s AFC divisional playoff round at Gillette Stadium to put New England into its record seventh consecutive AFC Championship game wasn’t proof, then maybe you should go follow another team in another sport.
Maybe what the 14-3 Patriots do in Sunday’s AFC title game against the 12-6 Jaguars, who defeated the Steelers on Sunday, will further answer any questions you still have about them.
Outside of a modestly sluggish start Saturday night, during which the Titans drove 95 yards and took a 7-0 first-quarter lead, the Patriots looked about as distracted as a lion in the wild tearing apart its prey for dinner.
The Patriots proceeded to score 35 straight points and, in the process, answered any questions anyone might have had about them being distracted by the supposed inner turmoil.
“This time of year, there’s no such thing to me as distractions,’’ Patriots veteran safety Devin McCourty said. “Unless you have some issue going on with your family or something like that, there is nothing else that can distract you. I don’t care what comes out, what’s said, our goal from the beginning of the season was to be able to play in the playoffs and try to go out there and win games in the playoffs. There’s nothing right now that can deter us from that.
“The team just focused on Tennessee, and I think it will be the same thing next week,’’ McCourty went on. “We know once you get in the playoffs, it’s not given to you. You’ve got to go earn it. We did that [Saturday] night. Now it’s all about getting ready to go for next week.’’
In the face of this latest controversy that threatened to seep through his airtight doors, Belichick did what Belichick always has done better than any coach, which is successfully di- rect all of his players’ focus to football and not anything being said or done outside of their cocoon.
“You have to keep ignoring noise on the outside, and just keep working every time you walk into the building and just keep grinding,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said.
“It’s been a long road,’’ said cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who’s in his first season with New England. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do and it’s going to be fun. The next team we play [Jacksonville] is probably going to be the best team we’ve played all year.”
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy called getting to this point in the playoffs “what you play for.’’
“You play to shine in games like this,’’ he said. “It’s what you do, from OTAs to the regular season to be in the situation that we’re in right now.”
Running back James White, who was a Super Bowl hero last February, scoring the winning TD and who scored twice against the Titans on Saturday, said, “All the hard work we put in is for these moments. We have to make the most of these opportunities.’’
So far, so good.