New England Patriots: Duron Harmon weighs in on reported rift
New York Patriots safety Duron Harmon weighed in on the reported rift within the organization.
The New England Patriots will be hosting the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round matchup on Saturday evening. The Titans upset the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend during the Wild Card round as Marcus Mariota stepped up in the second half.
That performance is something that people should be talking about. However, many people’s attention, at least fans of the Patriots, was diverted off the field.
Last week, an ESPN report was published that there is a rift brewing in New England. According to the report, the relationship between Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady is fractured, at best.
The report is lengthy, discussing many different things ranging from Brady’s personal trainer and the TB12 facilities to the Jimmy Garappolo trade.
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A lot has been made of the report. There were rumors brewing that Belichick could force his way out of New England and take the head coaching job with the New York Giants. The Patriots were reportedly angered by the report, with Peter King calling them ‘apoplectic’.
The trio of Kraft, Belichick and Brady came out and said that the three are united. Kraft believes Belichick will return to New England, and Belichick himself said that he plans to return to coach the team.
It has no doubt been a distraction, as the team has to answer questions about it even while they prepare for the Titans. One player that shared his opinion of the reported rift was safety, Duron Harmon.
Harmon has been with the Patriots for his entire five-year career and is a team captain. He said that there did not seem to be anything different this season in regards to the relationship between Belichick and Brady.
"“Coach Belichick and Tom Brady, who I see each and every day, all I see from them is guys who continue to just show that they want to put everything they can in to getting a championship for this team. I haven’t seen any type of beef or rift between those guys,” Harmon said Sunday night on WBZ-TV. “All I can see is time and time, week after week, coming in, every week and every day, putting everything that they have in to make sure we can have the most success on Sunday that we can.”"
If anyone is going to see a change in the relationship between a head coach and his quarterback, it will be people like Harmon, who is at the facility on a daily basis. On the field, there has also been very little evidence that there is a downfall coming.
Next: Patriots: Finding The Flaws In The ESPN Report
This is a story that won’t go away no matter how hard the Patriots try and make it disappear. Hopefully, it does not divert their attention too much, as they have an important game to play on Saturday night.