Jahlani Tavai says Patriots fans need to "know their place" after booing team
FOXBORO -- New England Patriots fans were not happy with the team during last week's blowout loss to the L.A. Chargers at Gillette Stadium, and let them know it with some loud boos and "Fire Mayo" chants late in the 40-7 defeat. Linebacker Jahlani Tavai has joined the chorus of Patriots players to speak out against that fan reaction.
Tavai called out Patriots fans on Friday morning during his appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. He made it clear that he was not happy with those boos and calls for his head coach's job during New England's Week 17 loss.
"I was frustrated. I definitely think I told a fan to quiet down in a non-polite way," said Tavai.
Fans had every right to be mad at the team though, as the Patriots were a complete no-show against the Chargers. It was 17-0 before the Patriots scored their first -- and only -- touchdown of the day off a free play in the second quarter, and New England was down 30-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
The loss dropped the Patriots to 3-13 on the season and just 1-6 at home. The boos and "Fire Mayo" chants were weeks of frustration coming out of a fanbase that is used to watching winning football.
But Tavai doesn't hold fan opinions very highly, according to his comments on Friday.
Tavai says Patriots fans need to "know their place"
Former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins asked Tavai if he understood where the fanbase was coming from, given the subpar product that the Patriots have been turning out nearly every weekend this season.
"I don't know. There's a reason why they're fans," responded Tavai. "Everybody can say what they think we should be doing. In the long end, they're not qualified to do what Mayo is doing, or whatever the Pats are doing.
"The fans, I appreciate them at times, but sometimes they just have to know their place and just understand that it's a work in progress," continued Tavia. "Rome wasn't built in one day."
Tavai had similar comments when chatting with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Wednesday's Patriots 1st Down.
On Friday, Tavai borrowed a popular talking point with the Patriots this season as he pointed to Dan Campbell's start in Detroit with the Lions. Detroit was just 3-13-1 in Campbell's first season in 2021 and then 1-6 in his second year on the job. The Lions have since grown into an NFC powerhouse, and are among the Super Bowl favorites this season.
"I'm not trying to compare, but that's a goal we're trying to develop here in this new regime. That's the mission, to get to how the Lions are improving," said Tavai. "That's the type of team we see ourselves as: A playoff contender. Unfortunately, that's not this year."
What isn't being said in that Campbell comparison though is that the Lions won three of their last six games in the 2021 season. It looked like they were starting to build toward something at the end of that campaign. This year's Patriots are currently riding a six-game losing streak -- their second such streak of the season.
Patriots fans weren't booing the loss last Saturday as much as the lack of effort from the team. There's a big difference, and Tavai should know that. Mayo understood that after Saturday's loss, but it seems like his message hasn't made it down to his players.
Jerod Mayo had a conversation with Tavai on Friday
During his press conference inside Gillette Stadium on Friday, Mayo said that he's had a chat with Tavai over his radio interview.
"I've handled that internally. Had a conversation about it and we'll keep it in house," said Mayo.
Unlike his players, Mayo does understand where the fans are coming from though.
"No one is happy with our record or where we are right now. The fans pay the bills and they demand that we go out and play well. We haven't and I understand," he said.
Mayo thanked his players for having his back, but said that they're getting "caught up trying to defend me" on Friday.
"I appreciate that, but the fans are the most important thing here," said Mayo. "They want to see good football and they want to see wins."
The Patriots will have one more chance to try to win back fans on Sunday -- and fans will have one more chance to voice their displeasure with the team -- when New England hosts the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.
Chances are fans won't be giving Tavai a very pleasant reception when he takes the field.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Bills clash on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Coverage continues Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV and streaming on CBSBoston.com, and switch over to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter.
