Throughout the New England Patriots' two-decade long run of success, the mantra of the 'Patriot Way' rang true throughout the halls of Gillette Stadium.
Essentially, the "Patriot Way" means that players focus on the team above themselves and maintain a strong work ethic, among other similar traits. That philosophy worked wonders when the Patriots had the NFL beneath their heel, but now that they have fallen from the elite, its merits have come into question.
Even former New England defensive end Chris Long, who won Super Bowl 51 with the Patriots before beating them in the big game the following year as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, has begun questioning the old mantra.
“The ‘Patriot Way,’ really, we have to start asking the question does it exist? It exists, but is it effective?” Long said on his Green Light with Chris Long podcast.
As for why Long questions the 'Patriot Way,' he pointed to the lack of true leaders on the roster compared to when he played in Foxboro.
“When you walked into that locker room, you knew you were in a winning locker room," Long said. "What about the Devin McCourty’s, you know? Matt Slater’s all alone in there. There’s just not a lot of Julian Edelman’s anymore. There’s not a lot of like Dont’a Hightower’s. Dont’a Hightower was one of the best leaders that I ever played with, if not the best defensive leader that I ever played with.”
The loss of players like McCourty, Hightower and Edelman, plus others like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, not only affected the Patriots on the field, but left a massive void in the locker room. With so many leaders leaving over the past few years, the Patriots are now left in one of the most tenuous situations in the entire NFL.
A 2-7 record with the second-worst offense in the NFL and Bill Belichick possibly coaching his final game Sunday in Germany hardly feels like the revered "Patriot Way."
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