The mystique surrounding the Patriots sometimes extends to mindless levels.
It’s not uncommon for the football world — especially in New England — to try and make sense of Patriots losses rather than simply admitting Bill Belichick and Co. were beaten fair and square. Such was the case after New England’s Week 9 loss to Baltimore, as one anonymous NFL executive reportedly claimed the Patriots held back against the Ravens knowing there’s a good chance they’ll see them again in January.
Shannon Sharpe has no time for this theory. When asked Tuesday if he believes the idea holds any merit, Sharpe, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion, emphatically put it to rest.
“Hell no and it’s coming from an exec that doesn’t win much because that’s a loser’s mentality,” Sharpe said on FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed.” “That’s how fans think. Fan sometimes think, ‘Well, they lost a game, they weren’t playing hard.’ So, were they not playing hard against the Texans? What about Kansas City? You mean to tell me I put this work in and Coach Belichick is not going to give me his best effort forward? The coaches always demand their players give them their best effort in the meeting room, on the practice field and come game time. Now coach is going to hold back? That’s disrespectful. I guarantee you this exec is on a losing team and has not won much because that’s a loser’s mentality.”
Sharpe continued: “… The Patriots are well-coached. They don’t make a whole lot of mistakes and you have to beat that fire with fire by not making mistakes and playing well. But to suggest that the reason why the Patriots lost is because they gave less than their best effort is foolish. That’s crazy, that’s asinine. I can’t even believe an NFL exec would even let that come out of his mouth because you know how much time guys put in…”
"To suggest that the reason why the Patriots lost to the Ravens is because they gave less than their best effort is foolish."@ShannonSharpe on anonymous NFL executive's comment saying the Patriots held back vs the Ravens pic.twitter.com/Hi7t5n4Y2j
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 17, 2019
The fact of the matter is, the Patriots were punched in the mouth when they squared off with the Ravens. New England up until that point had reaped the benefits of a tremendously light schedule, and a primetime clash against the MVP frontrunner served as the team’s first true test of the season. The Patriots were outmatched, and they can use the lessons they learned that night in Baltimore should they meet the Ravens next month.
The “holding back” theory might have been easy to buy in to shortly after the loss itself, but by looking at how New England has played for the majority of the second half, it seems pretty illogical to believe now.
