Fan critiques don’t interest Brown at all
FOXBORO >> If you don’t believe that Trent Brown is performing well for the Patriots, then the 6-foot-8, 370-pound offensive tackle has an explicit message for you.
“(Expletive) ’em,” Brown said Wednesday in the Patriots’ locker room. “Honestly. Truly.”
Brown spoke to multiple reporters in the locker room Tuesday, and some Patriots fans on social media took umbrage with one of Brown’s comments saying he’s been the team’s best offensive player.
Brown is PFF’S highest-graded Patriots offensive player with more than 175 offensive snaps. His 81.4 mark ranks eighth among NFL offensive tackles. There’s no one else on offense with a case to be made for being Top-10 at their position.
So, what does Brown have to say to fans who think differently?
“You live by their compliments, you’ll die by their criticism,” Brown said. “(Expletive) ’em. I don’t give a damn about them. The people that need to know and really know, they see what’s up. Over half — 98% of those people who are making those comments or whatever don’t have a (expletive) clue about the game. And if you put them out here, they couldn’t do a single rep. Know what I mean? So, (expletive) ’em. Honestly. Truly.”
Brown, a free agent after the season, said he’s dealing with high and low ankle sprains and a sprained MCL, and he’s missed the team’s last two games due to those injuries. He’s unsure if he’ll play Sunday against the Giants, but he did say he’s getting better and wants to let his body heal.
But how does he approach knowing he’s in contract year while not feeling 100%?
“I think I put some good tape out there,” Brown said. “Of course, I would love to be on the field and don’t like to miss games, but I also don’t want to be out there putting bad film out and hurting the team. If I’m not able to really be myself and help the team, then it’s the next-man-up mentality. That’s what they get paid to do, as well. But I can’t be out there hurting the team, and I feel like that’s what I did in the Miami game. I think that was kind of selfish of me to be out there hurting the way I was, but I was just trying to tough it out for the team.”
He called a report from MMQB’S Albert Breer that he’s “habitually late” “bull (expletive).” And he doesn’t know where that information might have come from.
“I don’t know,” Brown said. “Makes no sense. And that it would come when I’m not playing, but before that I was the best thing on offense, it makes no sense. But hey.”
The big blind-side blocker called it a frustrating season based on the Patriots’ record because he knows how hard the team has worked.
When asked if he likes playing in New England, he responded, “I like playing football. I love playing football.”
He also noted that things have changed over the five years since he initially joined the Patriots before the 2018 season.
“Absolutely changed with Dante (Scarnecchia) being gone, a lot of veteran O-linemen being gone that knew how to really play and have some continuity with one another,” Brown said. “That’s completely gone. You got a bunch of young guys who are still learning, have a lot to learn. That’s all I can say.”
Adrian Klemm, the Patriots’ offensive line coach, is out with health-related issues, leaving assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates to lead the group. The team has gone through Cole Popovich, Carmen Bricillo and Matt Patricia as offensive line coaches since Scarnecchia retired.
Slater’s ‘honorary’ position
Matthew Slater is officially listed as a wide receiver on the Patriots roster, but he vowed two weeks ago in Germany that his days of being split out wide on offense are over.
The special teams captain has a different “honorary” position around Gillette Stadium, however.
“He’s kind of an honorary offensive lineman,” center David Andrews said this morning. “He’s always been. It’s in his blood. I learned that very quickly when I was a rookie and having to buy sandwiches that I always bought one for Slater there on road games.”
Slater, who’s listed at 6 feet, 205 pounds, is a few inches short and 100 pounds too light to be an actual offensive lineman, unlike his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jackie Slater.
But beyond his pedigree, what else makes Slater an “honorary offensive lineman?”
“That’s a great question,” he said laughing. “I think for me, I’m always curious. Naturally, because of my dad, like what’s going on in the room? I’ve sat down and I’ve talked scheme with David and James (Ferentz). I’ve asked a lot of questions. I’m curious about personnel. I don’t know.
“I think, more than any position on the field other than the ones I’ve played, that position piques my interest. And then you know, I just naturally have a great appreciation for what those guys do, what they mean to a football team. So, I appreciate them welcoming me into the circle all these years.”