Curran: Patriots’ culture issues are ‘extremely distressing’

Curran: Patriots’ culture issues are ‘extremely distressing’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On its face, the New England Patriots’ 1-4 record shouldn’t cause much consternation. They’ve played one of the NFL’s hardest schedules to date, and this was supposed to be a rebuilding year anyway.

What’s more concerning is that there doesn’t seem to be much rebuilding happening in Foxboro.

First-year head coach Jerod Mayo has already dealt with several rough patches, from controversy over who would start the season at quarterback to starting left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor leaving the team after just one game to the recent arrest of team captain Jabrill Peppers on multiple charges, including assault.

Mayo was hired to help get the franchise back on track after a 4-13 final season under Bill Belichick. But as Tom E. Curran expressed Monday on Arbella Early Edition, the Patriots have a very long way to go.

“Resignation is a terrible thing to have a team experience before Columbus Day,” Curran said. “Chuks Okorafor literally quit the team. He was one of the most important free agent signings. He quit the team!

“Last year in the course of the season, there were occasions in which you could debate whether or not Trent Brown actually quit the team. They’re having players quit playing, and to have that stretch into this new culture, period, is extremely distressing.”

On top of all that, two more of their team captains — linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and center David Andrews — have suffered season-ending injuries, while veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is expected to be benched soon in favor of rookie Drake Maye.

“And now David Andrews, who is absolutely a lionhearted guy, is hurt,” Curran said. “And Jacoby Brissett, who is (Steve) Grogan-level tough, is on the verge of being benched.”

As Patriots Insider Phil Perry noted, Brissett is very well-respected in the Patriots’ locker room, so while benching him might be the right call, his absence would add to the growing list of team leaders not on the field.

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“They appreciate Jacoby tremendously,” Perry told Curran. “They continue to echo to me, ‘Hey, we’re gonna stand behind this guy. We’re also gonna try to uplift Drake. We think Drake has a great future in this league. We think he’s going to be a great player. But Jacoby is our leader, he’s leading our offense and we’re going to trust the process.’ That’s what Vederian Lowe, starting left tackle, told me (Sunday).

“But it’s hard to maintain buy-in when you’re losing and you’re playing as poorly as you do. So, you want make decisions that are tough, that set a standard, that help you establish a culture, and (you want) leaders who will help you carry them out. But the leaders are gone and the team is bad enough that all that other stuff just might not matter.”

A win would go a long way toward changing the vibes in New England, but that won’t be an easy task this Sunday against C.J. Stroud and the 4-1 Houston Texans.