MIAMI -- Serious times call for serious measures. The New England Patriots, fresh off a blowout loss to at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts last Monday, were facing a critical point in their season.
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| Heath Evans rushes for 84 yards on 17 carries. (AP) |
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a master at motivation, so we expect him to come up with something to get the team going, but this time it was on his players -- and they knew it. So Saturday night, during the normal team meeting, the captains laid it out for the rest of the team.
Do your job or else.
With their season potentially on the line, even in a weak AFC East, the Patriots did their jobs Sunday. An undermanned team that resembled something out of NFL Europe, including star runner Heath Evans, who they picked up two weeks ago and converted from fullback to halfback, somehow found a way to beat the Miami Dolphins 23-16 at Dolphins Stadium.
The Saturday meeting was far different than what they've had in the past. Most Patriots players didn't want to say much about the meeting, offering the "it's private, family stuff" talk as rebuttal. But gathering bits and pieces from some players, it was clear that several key veterans let the rest of the team know the time was now to turn it up a notch.
"It's better off if it stays out of the public since it's a family thing," Patriots veteran receiver Troy Brown said. "Let's just say we had some guys let out their feelings. All right. That's all."
Defensive lineman Richard Seymour offered a little more about the meeting.
"We just understood that if it's going to get done, it's going to get done by the guys in this locker room," Seymour said. "No one in this league is going to give you something. If you want anything in your life, you have to work for it. And there's no shortcuts. We just wanted to take that attitude.
"We have to understand we have to go out and play tough and play hard every week. It's not just going to happen. We have to play with emotion and some intensity and go at it with that attitude."
Belichick questioned his players some following the loss to the Colts, but this was different. When it's your peers, you tend to listen more.
With a lineup made up of young players forced into action because of injuries, and the possibility of falling below .500, something had to be done.
The Patriots have been crippled by injuries this season, more so than in the past. Not that anybody is crying for them. What that has done is forced into action a team that is severely lacking in terms of talent.
