Patriots quiet quitting?

There has been a trend the last couple years that is called quiet quitting. I am sure you have heard of it. Quiet quitting is when employees put in the least amount of effort to do their job so as not to be fired, but they don't do anything extra for their employer. Sound familiar? You may be doing it at your job. The Patriots certainly seem to be doing it at theirs.

An example of this might be the size of the Patriots’ injury list this week. At last check, the Patriots had already ruled three players out. That’s not bad. However they have sixteen players listed as questionable – not probable, but questionable!!! That means nineteen of their fifty-three players are less than 50/50 to play Sunday against the divisional rival Buffalo Bills. That is over a third of their roster.

Some of those injuries are real. Some may be Bill Belichick abhorring rules that he doesn’t agree with and playing his normal, idiotic games with the injury list which he finds useless. But I have to believe there are some players that are quiet quitting – similar to when Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack tries faking an injury to avoid losing a bet at golf, exclaiming exaggeratedly, “Oh, my arm! It’s broken!”

Let’s take a look at some suspect cases:

DeVante Parker 

OK, OK, he is not on the injured list, but he might as well be, and don’t be surprised if he is on it in the next few weeks. I could point to his inability to catch a pass that over 90% of NFL receivers can catch that may have cost the Patriots a victory against the Raiders as Exhibit 1. Or even his refusal this week, not once, not twice, but three different days this week to take any sort of. accountability for his drop. At first, he made it sound like the ball was overthrown by saying he could only get his fingertips on the ball. His current defense is that the defender held his arm down as he was going for the ball. This coming from a guy who got a contract extension around the time the Patriots were courting Deandre Hopkins.

No, no, the example I am looking at was his lousy route that he ran on a third down play in the first half. Mac Jones thought Parker was going to cut to the sideline on a short out. Instead, I can’t see Parker “cut” or did a “slant” to the inside. That would not give the play justice. It is more like Parker ran a slow arc to the middle of the field.

Trent Brown

The big man has been an issue since OTAs. When engaged, Brown can be a top left tackle in the league. When not engaged, well… In the summer, Brown didn’t participate much in camp. It was believed he was doing a hold-in (or might we say “quiet quitting”? Hmmm). He was, technically, at camp but not doing any drills until he got his contract restructured. Once the season started and the Patriots were desperate for Brown to anchor a horrible offensive line, he got his wish.

The positive results have not followed, though. There have been too many plays to count this year when Brown does not even lay a finger on a defender running past him. I took a look at how many penalties he has been called for this year and was surprised to see he hasn’t been called for any holding penalties this year. Then it occurred to me, it is kinda hard to get a penalty for holding when you can’t get your hands on a defender!

JuJu Smith-Schuster

I am not going to question his concussion which caused him to miss the game against Jakobi Meyers and the Raiders. It will be interesting to see how hard he tries to come back from it, though, after being a complete bust. Last week was an embarrassment to the organization when Meyers, the guy Schuster replaced, scored a touchdown against his former mates.

Mike Onwenu

Onwenu is in a contract year. One argument could be made that he needs to get on the field to maintain or increase his value. Another argument could be made that he doesn’t want to risk getting on the field and causing more damage, that might require surgery, to his ankle which would obliterate his value. It just seems like it has been a long time to recover from an ankle injury that we didn’t seem too concerned about at draft time.

Josh Uche

Uche is out for the game against Buffalo with a knee/foot injury. Uche stands to score a big contract this offseason. Have you seen the size of contracts pass rushers have been getting in recent years? Don’t be surprised not to see too much of Uche the rest of the year, unless he gets traded which should be a good possibility.

Kyle Dugger

Dugger was a late add to the injured list last week prior to the Raiders game and he remains on it this week for the Bills. Like Uche and Onwenu, Dugger is in the last year of his contract and stands to get a big fat contract this offseason. Belichick has hurt his value by playing him a lot at free safety instead of his natural strong safety position. Pass coverage has never been Dugger’s strength.

Riley Reiff

Many were shocked that the Patriots gave the over-the-hill right tackle $5 million. “Gave” might be the right word as it doesn’t look like Reiff is going to earn any of it this year. Happy retirement!

Hunter Henry

It is amazing how few players the Patriots have under contract for next year. It would be a golden opportunity for a new GM to start over. But, anyway, I digress. Henry is the lone bright spot on this sputtering offense. He has always been the biggest Mac Jones supporter, but I think even he has deserted that island. His tone has been a little different after the last couple of games. Henry is also a free agent at the end of the year and, either he or Uche, would fetch the best return via trade for the Patriots. 

Cole Strange

Through no fault of his own, Strange has gotten heavily criticized and ridiculed among fans and media for not living up to his first round draft status. Getting drafted in the first round has been a blessing and a curse for Strange. He has not been on the field since injuring his knee in one of the first reps of camp. What motivation would Strange have for coming back early? Patriots’ fans sure haven’t made him feel welcome. Why should he do anything for them?

Davon Godchaux

Belichick called him one of the best defensive linemen in the league when he gave Godchaux a hefty pay raise a few years ago. Belichick should be fired for that comment alone. Godchaux has an ankle injury and is listed as questionable. I include him on this list for two reasons. First, because he is a veteran and has nothing to prove, unlike some young players. Secondly, he plays on a solid defense that has to be frustrated by the futility of the offense. It really is remarkable how many injuries have been on the defensive side of the ball.

J.C. Jackson

How would you feel if your employer didn't appreciate your value and everything you had done for them and allowed you to go to another job only to take you back when they were desperate?

I want to emphasize that I am not questioning anybody’s toughness. I am in no position to do that. I know I would pull a hamstring if I had to run just ten yards at full speed. I know I would probably snap a collarbone the first time I was tackled by one of these guys (although I think I could survive a hit better than Tyquan Thornton). But these are professional athletes who get paid to take care of their bodies and play football.

What I do think I can relate to, and I will stand by, is the psychology behind what I have written. I know it looks bad to call out the players I did, but there is solid reasoning behind it. I don’t have a PhD in psychology, but I think I am pretty damn good at putting myself in other people’s shoes. So when I put myself in these individuals’ size 17 shoes, I ask myself what is my motivation here. 

Just look at Bill Belichick on the sidelines and in press conferences or radio interviews. Does he strike you as a coach who you would want to run through a wall for? I know his persona hasn’t changed much from about ten years ago, but it was easier to play for him and tolerate him when he was winning Super Bowls. There is a reason why only washed up veterans who have nowhere else to turn choose New England in free agency. Nobody wants to play for Belichick. And no one wants to bust their butts for a 1-7 (which they will most likely be after the next two games) team.

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