FOXBORO, Mass. — Monday was far from a banner day for the New England Patriots organization.
The team was blown out at home by the Chicago Bears, the quarterbacks (yes, plural) both played poorly, the coach refused to give a legitimate answer as to why he chose to roll with a multi-quarterback system and the fans booed off the starter in favor for a fourth-round rookie who ended up playing worse.
Of all those things, some of which actually had an effect on the on-field product, the fans who were at Gillette Stadium on Monday night are drawing the most heat. While it was ridiculous to boo off a quarterback who was working his way back from injury, it shouldn’t be surprising given what we know about Boston sports fans.
That’s something that Matthew Slater seems to understand, as the Patriots captain went to bat for Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and the Foxboro Faithful on Wednesday.
“I would imagine that that is going to impact those two guys in their own way. And that’s certainly something that I don’t want to speak to. It’s challenging, and we’re humans as we play this game,” Slater said. “It is very challenging, but I have an understanding of the city that I play in and I have an appreciation for our fan base. Though they may be tough at times, they understand the game. They’re passionate. I feel like they respect what we do and they want to see us do well.
“Our fan base is entitled to feel any way they want to feel, cheer any way they want to cheer. That’s their right as a fan base. And you know, as an athlete, you have to understand that. It’s not always easy at times, but you have to understand that you can’t control the way the fans feel, or what they’re going to do on game day. So you know, my feelings for our fans are what they’ve always been. There’s respect, there’s admiration, there’s appreciation for how in touch they are with their teams and their athletes, and how much they appreciate what we do. And I know they’re hard on us at times, but you know, I think it’s just because they love their team.”
Much like Devin McCourty on Monday, Slater chose to cut the fans some slack for their jeers. Patriots fans will have to hope Jones will do the same, because some think he won’t.
