The only drama from the New England Patriots’ Week 17 shellacking over the New York Jets came after the whistle.
As the Patriots went into halftime sporting a 35-3 lead, Mike Vrabel attempted to calm down an irate Christian Barmore. The defensive tackle appeared to yell at his head coach as other staffers tried to settle him down.
Vrabel downplayed any conflict when explaining the situation during Sunday’s post-game press conference.
“Just reminding everybody to keep their composure,” Vrabel said. “We have an identity that we’ve shown and that we’ve put out there on the football field and make great decisions for the football team. We don’t want to give people free yards, and that was it. Just a reminder.”
The first half’s final play appeared to anger Barmore. Jets offensive tackle Armand Membou dove down to the turf to take a shot at Barmore, even though both linemen were already far removed from a third-and-long draw to run down the clock.
Story continues below advertisement
Tensions mounted, but nobody was called for a penalty after the incident. Vrabel commended Barmore and his Patriots teammates for eventually calming down before costing the team.
“Christian did a great job,” Vrabel said. “The referee came over to me and told me that both him and Cory Durden and everybody else were doing a good job of trying not to get into anything after the whistle and after the play. I appreciate that.”
Barmore collected one of New England’s five quarterback hits in a 42-10 rout. The 13-3 Patriots will conclude the regular season by hosting the Miami Dolphins in Week 18.
Story continues below advertisement
