Jahlani Tavai Says Patriots Fans 'Aren't Qualified' and 'Gotta Know Their Place.' This is Not Going to End Well.

I think over the years, I've taken a back seat to no one when it's come to criticizing the people in the stands at Patriots games. And my reasons for this have been pure. For too long The Real Housewives of Foxboro didn't appreciate how good they had it. At times, they were like 70,000 Veruka Salts in Gronk jerseys, falling all to pieces every time they didn't get their way. And as someone who grew up in that old, shitty, Eastern Bloc architecture stadium watching them lose double digit games year after awful year, I would have none of it. 

A few moments in particular stood out to me, and I wrote harshly about them on his very blog. One being the September 2008 game against Miami where Tony Sparano caught Bill Belichick completely off guard with Wildcat formations, the Pats' defense was never able to adjust, and they got blown out 38-13, with Matt Cassel as quarterback. Early in the 4th quarter the TV cameras focused on the exits as the Gillette crowd did the Exodus scene from The Ten Commandments, but with the Israelites booing as they fled from Egypt. Another was the legendary "Unicorns! Show ponies!" game against New Orleans in 2013, when Tom Brady hit Kenbrell Thompkins on the business end of a touchdown drive that went 70 yards in 1:08 after the Pats had burned all their time outs. My issue with that one was there might have been 20,000 people left in the stands for that game-winner. And maybe twice that trying to talk their way back into the stadium. Oh ye of little faith. 

But I can't emphasize this enough. I was dragging Patriots ticket holders for refusing to recognize how good they had it. For example that Wildcat game broke a 12-game home winning streak. That Show Ponies game everyone bailed on had Tom fricking Brady under center. I was being the guy who grew up during The Depression watching my grandkids bitch that they haven't had a new pair of Air Jordans in two months. 

Obviously that ship has long sailed over the horizon and hasn't shown signs of coming back to port any time soon. So you won't hear me say a negative thing about the brave souls who are still buying the tickets, staying loyal to their team, hoping against hope, and using a Sharpie to "M-A-Y-E" over the "J-O-N-E-S" nameplate on the No. 10 throwback jersey they bought in 2021. Those intrepid Americans deserve our respect and admiration. 

They just didn't get it this morning from one Patriots player on his radio appearance. The last we saw of Jahlani Tavai, he was being blasted backwards on the goal line by Chargers center Bradley Bozeman on the final touchdown of the game:

And just now on WEEI he followed that up with an even worse look:

“I was frustrated, I definitely told a fan to quiet down in a non polite way…there’s a reason why they’re fans…they’re not qualified to do what Mayo is doing…they’re  fans, appreciate them at times but sometimes they just gotta know their place.”

Look, I have zero desire to trash Jahlani Tavai. Over the past few years, he's played his way into a key role. He leads the team in tackles. With Ju'Whaun Bentley on IR, he's had to become a 3-down linebacker, which has exposed his lack of coverage skills (107.4 passer rating against). It's been Next Man Up at his position, and as the Next Man, it's been both up and down for him. As the Patriots defense has steadily and rapidly declined all around him. I take no joy in calling out a guy who came here after flaming out in Detroit and established himself as one of those system fits who becomes a true success story. 

But holy smokes, man. Read the room. Nobody who pays good money, fights traffic to sit out in the cold wants to boo. They don't show up hoping for the chance to hurl viriol at anyone. They're frustrated because they care. After watching a 3-12 team get their brakes beaten off on the way to 3-13, what else can anyone reasonably expect? No one argues the players have to like it. But there's a Marianas Trench-sized gap between liking it and saying the fans who are still emotionally invested in this franchise "aren't qualified" and "gotta know their place."

The fact is, Tavai's team has now won two home games in the last two years. That's a hell of a small ROI for all those tickets, parking, concessions, time and effort. Ragging them as a bunch of no-nothings with zero business judging the product on the field or criticizing the coaching isn't going win hearts and minds. You can't badger or shame your audience into liking what you're doing. Just ask Disney how it's working for them every time they put out some half-assed Star Wars show or slapped-together Marvel superhero fuckery and blame the failure on "toxic" fans. All you can do is give people what they came to hoping to see and you win them over. 

Which in the case of Patriots fans right now is effort, discipline, toughness, and competitive football. No one was under any delusion this was going to be good season or even anywhere close to .500. We knew this roster was bad going in. But between the unforced errors, error repeaters, mental mistakes, communication problems and the undeniable fact guys quit at the end of the Los Angeles game, they gave their fans no reason to take the "Rome wasn't built in a day" approach. Or to compare this franchise to the Lions when Dan Campbell first took over. Until they see proof of the "work in progress" Tavai mentions, this is just wish-casting. 

Here's my advice to all Patriots players from now until their last press availabilities of the season. When you get the inevitable question about fans' frustration, just say exactly what David Andrews says here:

"Do I like it? No. Do the fans have every right to voice their opinions? Yes. They pay good money to sit in the stands and see good football. And we didn't do that. And that's our end of the bargain. … You don't like it, then you have to fix it. … The only thing that fixes that is winning."

Respectfully, I'll correct Andrews on one point. Yes, winning will fix it. But since winning is out of the question right now, what would fix it is simply putting in a good effort. To play like an NFL team. Being a pain in the ass to superior opponents. To be the trap team that the Super Bowl contenders don't want to face. Think of the game at Buffalo two weeks ago. More of that would do for now. 

Instead, just they got beaten by 33 at home. Have now allowed four teams the most points they've scored all year. Allowed 30 or more points six times. Are last in the league in sacks. Second to last in turnovers and QB hits. All while scoring the third fewest points in the league. 

Again, not to drag Jahlani Tavai; I don't ask my linebackers to express themselves like Pericles of Athens. It's just that if he wants to tell the paying customers to know their place, I'll remind him they do. Their place is in the stands watching the worst team in football. And if that doesn't change by the time 2025 tickets go on sale, most of them won't be in that place. 

PS. Belichick has benched guys for less, but Mayo has made it clear he's not into policing what his players say. It'll be interesting to see what happens Sunday.