Duron Harmon has played for the Patriots since his NFL career began back in 2013, which means he's now won three championships and participated in four Super Bowls, and he wants Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson to know that winning three championships in six seasons is actually pretty fun.
The one Super Bowl that Harmon lost came a year ago against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, after which Johnson said that he didn't think Patriots players had any fun playing for "a fear-based organization" and that he'd "much rather have fun and win a Super Bowl than be miserable and win five Super Bowls." A year later, Harmon responded to those remarks.
At the Patriots' Super Bowl parade on Tuesday, as they celebrated their 13-3 win over the Rams and their second championship in three seasons, Harmon let Johnson know that he's having plenty of fun.
There's no doubt the so-called Patriot Way isn't for every player. Under Bill Belichick, players are expected to "do your job" and the players who can't do that are often cut loose. Belichick always prioritizes the system over the individual, which is why the Patriots continually let go of big-name and expensive assets and replace them with cheaper players. There's also no doubt that Patriot Way is probably a ton of fun for the players who are capable of hanging around in New England. Belichick has been accused of not having enough fun, but his methods work. It leads to winning.
Take Sunday's Super Bowl, which saw the Patriots pitch arguably the best defensive game in Super Bowl history, holding a Rams offense that scored nearly 33 points per game in the regular season to three points. It was a collective effort, from Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy winning up front to Stephon Gilmore making a huge interception in the fourth quarter to Jason McCourty and Harmon both breaking up two near touchdowns.
The Harmon pass breakup has flown under the radar a bit, but it was one of the biggest plays of the game. With 4:29 remaining in the game, the Rams trailed by a touchdown, but had the ball on the Patriots 27-yard line. Jared Goff proceeded to drop in a perfectly placed pass to Brandin Cooks for what should've been a tying touchdown, but Cooks couldn't hold onto the ball. He couldn't hold on partly because of Harmon's well-timed hit as soon as the ball arrived.
On the next play, Gilmore picked off Goff. The Patriots burned most of the remaining time off the clock, tacked on a field goal to seal the win, and enjoyed what appeared to be a very fun parade on Tuesday.
It turns out, winning is fun.
