Ted Johnson Is Worried About The Patriots

The New England Patriots have clinched a playoff spot! But wait, before you get too excited, make sure you check in with Ted Johnson and get his permission. It seems the Pats seemingly deserved excitement over the big win was too much for the former New England linebacker.

"I feel like this team is a little too excited from this win. I don't know if they've been humbled by the last two weeks."@Teddyjradio says the Pats' reaction in their blowout win left him concerned that they haven't learned their lesson after losing to the Colts and Bills 👀 pic.twitter.com/WHdnYQGVz4

— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) January 2, 2022

Is there a more “old man yelling at the clouds” moment than this? In case you didn’t click the link, let me do a quick All-22 break down of this.

“As good of a win this was for the Patriots, they ran up the score, Bill get this team feeling good about themselves…I feel like a little bit, like this team uhhh, is a little too excited from this win. I don’t know if they’ve been humbled by the last two weeks.”

I’m not sure why Teddy feels the need to be the gatekeeper of excitement, but he assumed that position here. Background: The Patriots just clinched a playoff spot after a disaster of a year last season. They are also coming off two very bad losses, so a whooping like this is something to get the vibes right again. I think it would be bad if they did NOT show any emotion, but hey, who am I to say. Also, “running up the score” isn’t a thing. The offense’s job is to score. The defense’s job is to stop them. The Pats were simply better at their assignment than the opposition.

Moving on. Johnson then brings up how big of an opportunity was missed last week against the Bills (something the Patriots players clearly understood), before he goes back to the obsession with being humble.

“But I’m just a little bit concerned where the humility is and just keeping things in perspective against a team that was way way down. They went out there and beat them up and they were all having a good time out there and that’s great! But I was hoping to see a little more humility and winning in a way where like hey, we don’t need to pump out chests out. And they were doing that and that’s a little bit of a concern.

I don’t mean to be a downer and pour cold water on everybody cause this was a great win, they get in the playoffs, I get that. But I just thought this team had bigger things in mind than just winning 10 games and getting in the playoffs.

I have a question for you, the reader: did the season end today? No, right? Okay, so it’s safe to say that the Patriots don’t think they’ve already achieved their goal. I’m not sure why Johnson is equating excitement to complacency. He contradicts himself anyway by acknowledging how big of a win this is and what it means. Making the playoffs is HUGE. Humility doesn’t mean you can’t show excitement about something.

Tom E. Curran though, to his credit, gives some pushback on this blasphemous opinion. Curran has a checkered relationship with Patriots fans, but he spoke for all of us here.

“I don’t know what they’re supposed to do today. If you’re winning by 40, I mean you’re up 50-3…how do you balance…(he gets interrupted by Johnson before he gets to finish)…I have a hard time understanding what’s the right level of being excited…”

And then Johnson pulls out the all time hardo comment by basically saying “I played the game, you didn’t. That’s how I know.”

“It’s just being around a football teams as long as I have. I can see where guys are kinda getting ahead of themselves, getting a little bit their skis. And I see a lot of the young guys on this team…you gotta keep in in perspective.”

Did Ted Johnson watch this game? I genuinely mean that. Or did he just watch highlights. Where did he see young people “getting a little bit over their skis” huh? Because Mac Jones seemed to have a good game while showing excitement. Kyle Dugger made some big hits. Stevenson went for over 100. Jakobi Meyers had his 3rd consecutive 6+ catch game. Barmore tallied his first solo sack. So I would ask Ted this: which young players are you worried about getting too excited and not showing a proper level amount of humility in YOUR eyes?

The best part comes soon after this, though, when Johnson brings up HIS Patriot teams and how THEY had a level of humility. And to that, Curran, flabbergasted, brings up players like Rodney Harrison and Mike Vrabel while refuting Johnson’s nonsense. As a lifelong Patriots fan, I can personally tell you that Johnson’s Patriots teams may have been humble in the press conferences, but they were anything but when they were on the field.

They go around for a bit, all while Johnson brings up his concerns about this team moving forward (???) because of their happiness or something like that. But the main takeaway is this: the Patriots should NOT be allowed to be “overconfident” or show ANYTHING but the utmost level of humility at all times. No fun zone in Foxboro…or at least that’s what Ted Johnson wants.

(Featured Photo Credit www.coachsanta.com)

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Mike Sullivan (@msully5433 on Twitter)