This Patriots Backup Delivered Suprise Motivational Message To Team

FOXBORO, Mass. — Two weeks ago, as the Patriots were preparing for a Thursday night road game in Pittsburgh, players received a powerful message from an unexpected source.

Pharaoh Brown, one of New England’s backup tight ends, spoke up during a team meeting to dispute the idea that the Patriots had “nothing to lose” because they were far out of the NFL playoff race.

That notion, Brown argued, undersells all that the team has to be thankful for, even in a miserable season like this one.

“(Special teams captain Matthew) Slater was actually in the meeting talking, and it just dawned on me,” Brown told NESN.com on Friday. “I just spoke it to the team, and it touched a few of the guys. That’s just how I approach the game. I usually don’t talk much. I just got here. But it just was on my heart.”

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Brown, who signed with the Patriots days before their season opener after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts, said he was “trying to convey that even though everything around us is not what we expected, everybody’s still got a lot to play for.”

“The (3-11) record isn’t everybody wanted it to be, and you always hear people saying, ‘Oh, we don’t got nothing to lose,’ ” the 29-year-old explained. “But when you really look at it, we’ve all got families. We’ve all got people that care for us. We’ve all got a lot of people around here that put a lot of stuff into this, and that’s enough to play for.

“So just having that gratitude for the game and just going out and having that confidence. I feel like when I hear, ‘Oh, you’ve got nothing to lose,’ your confidence is low. No, the results are not working, but you’ve just got to keep that confidence.”

Brown’s words resonated with at least one Patriots leader. Center and co-captain David Andrews spoke at length about the tight end’s message during his Wednesday news conference.

“We’ve only got three more guaranteed opportunities with this football team,” Andrews said, “and I think that’s a huge opportunity for not only yourself, but the organization, the team, everyone involved. Sometimes, when you get in these positions, people say you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to lose.

“It was said, maybe last week, two weeks ago, that we have everything to lose, because we’re playing this game and you never know when it’s going to get taken from you. You never know when it’s going to end. But everyone says that, right? ‘Oh, we have nothing to lose.’ Someone said that the other day, and it really kind of struck a chord with me. Because when you think about it, you have everything to lose. You want to take advantage of these opportunities for whatever they may be — representing yourself, your family, the team, the community, whatever it is. So I really agreed with who said it.”

The Patriots won their next game after Brown’s surprise address, beating the Steelers 21-18 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 last Sunday. In the 10 days between those results, they officially were eliminated from postseason contention.

New England will travel to Denver this Sunday for a Christmas Eve matchup with the Broncos before closing out the season with games against the Buffalo Bills (road) and New York Jets (home).

Brown, who outsnapped No. 2 tight end Mike Gesicki in each of the last four games, could see an even larger workload against Denver with starter Hunter Henry dealing with a knee injury. The seventh-year pro mostly has been used as a blocker this season but has flashed big-play ability in the passing game, catching all nine of his targets for 178 yards and one touchdown.

“It would give me another opportunity to showcase what I can do if (Henry’s) not able to go,” Brown said. “But I just always try to prepare and be ready for whatever happens, and when those opportunities come, make sure I’m always prepared.”