Matt Patricia has been a lightning rod for criticism during his first season as the Patriots' offensive play-caller.
And much of the criticism is warranted. New England's rudimentary offense has been a chore to watch all season and the regression of sophomore quarterback Mac Jones is concerning. We recently said Bill Belichick's experiment with Patricia as a play-caller has been a predictable failure, and it's a take shared by many who cover the Patriots.
But the criticism has ramped up in recent weeks with the Patriots' teetering on the edge of playoff contention. Fueled by in- and post-game outbursts by players -- and comments from the likes of Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph -- the calls for Patricia to lose his job never have been louder. And Monday night's 27-13 road win over the Arizona Cardinals likely won't change anything.
Say what you want about Patricia, but it's an unenviable position to be in. He's been the butt of jokes all season and an enormous amount of Patriots fans want him to be fired. So, does the relentless backlash ever get to him?
"I think we do a pretty good job here of training ourselves to just -- we stay in our own little bubble for the most part and try to ignore as much of that as we can," Patricia said during a Tuesday morning Zoom call. "We understand what we're trying to do. We're trying to just do everything we can to get better each week. That's our focus. The focus has gotta be inside the building just trying to do everything we can to do a little bit better. So, I don't really pay attention to it, if I can."
Patricia obviously hears some of the noise; it would be impossible to avoid it. But tuning out as much as possible probably is for the best.
New England's offense certainly wasn't good Monday night in Arizona, but it did enough to get a much-needed victory. And, despite all the negativity, the Patriots would be in the NFL playoffs if the regular season ended today.
They'll look for another win this Sunday when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders.
