The New England Patriots destroyed the New York Jets in a 42-10 blowout victory on the road in Week 17. They’ll end the season going undefeated on the road, but there was some controversy at the end of the first half on Sunday between New England’s defensive tackle Christian Barmore and New York’s offensive tackle Armand Membou.
The situation occurred as the first half was ending, a run up the middle for 12 yards. Barmore was on the ground, knowing that the play was over because he heard the referee’s whistle, but then Membou hit Barmore while he was on the ground (h/t @HereREGOagain), diving on top of him and rolling him over. It was a quick moment that the broadcast caught at the end of it when head coach Mike Vrabel ran onto the field to get his player.
At that moment, Vrabel was clearly calming down Barmore. Vrabel had his arm around him and then was in front of Barmore with his hand on his chest, reminding him that he needs to put the team first and that they need him right now. Vrabel eventually ran off while Barmore remained walking along with two team staffers.
Mike Vrabel Helped Keep Christian Barmore on Track in Week 17
After the game, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Barmore opened up about what happened between him and Membou.
“The play was already over. I heard the whistle blown," Barmore said. "Bro came behind me and literally landed his whole body on my back. I could have got hurt. I’ve never been a dirty player.”
It’s worth mentioning that on the play before this happened, Barmore got to the quarterback as part of a group effort in sacking him. Perhaps there was some frustration building up at that point with the score being 35-3 at halftime. Barmore finished the game playing on 48% of the defensive snaps and had a quarterback hit.
Fortunately, Vrabel has always made sure to prioritize the team first, and that’s what he was reminding Barmore of at halftime: to keep his composure in the middle of a battle for the betterment of the team.
“Coach helped me calm down, because he saw what happened. He told me to keep my head in the game, because they was doing dirty stuff," the veteran defender revealed.
Barmore is the longest tenured starter on the defense. He’s been holding down the defensive line since Milton Williams went on injured reserve after their Week 11 game against the Jets. Depth is thin at the defensive line right now, as rookie Joshua Farmer was also placed on IR in the last week. So the need for Barmore on the field is more than essential; it’s vital for the Patriots.
“It’s for the team. We have to keep calm for the team. We already knew what they were doing, so we had to keep cool for the team," Barmore added. "We got the win. Look at the scoreboard. I’m proud of my team, proud of us, proud of the D-line. We’re just going to keep getting better.”
Tensions tend to run high on the gridiron, which is why it's great that the Patriots have a coach like Vrabel, who knows how to put out fires as soon as they happen. Hopefully, he doesn't have any reasons to calm Barmore down moving forward, so that the vet and the rest of the team can focus on making noise in the postseason.