FOXBORO — In the aftermath of New England’s 45-27 loss to Green Bay on Sunday, comments from head coach Mike Vrabel and wide receiver Mack Hollins seemed to suggest that not everyone on the team had an equal amount of buy-in this season.
On Wednesday prior to their last practice before heading to Germany to face Detroit, Patriots players circled the wagons, attempting to dispel the notion there was any apathy among their ranks.
“Every man that I’ve talked to pours so much into this game and has so much pride in what they do on Sundays,” linebacker Robert Spillane said. “So I never question that in any man and nobody in this locker room has given me a reason to question their effort.”
After Hollins remarked postgame that if players were OK with the dismal showing against the Packers they are “probably not meant for this team,” the veteran said Wednesday that he was happy with the level of commitment the squad has shown.
“I think it’s good,” Hollins said. “I think we are excited for another opportunity. I think the guys are focused on one week at a time, and that’s a good thing, instead of reaching too far ahead or too far behind.”
Left tackle Will Campbell chalked up the chatter to the heat of the moment after what was arguably New England’s most disappointing result of the season, but indicated that there was no panic pulsing through Patriots players.
“Emotions can run high after a game whenever you don’t play as well as a team as you want to, but everything we want is still in front of us,” Campbell said. “It’s not like we are 0-15. We can still achieve everything we want to achieve, we just have to play better, and we have a great opportunity to go out there this week with a clean slate.”