Rob Ninkovich destroys Sean McDermott after Patriots’ MNF victory
By Mike Luciano
Throughout Bill Belichick’s tenure with the New England Patriots, elite defensive layers like Ty Law, Rob Ninkovich, and Devin McCourty routinely beat up on some awful Buffalo Bills quarterbacks. Though times have changed with Josh Allen and Sean McDermott locked in for 2021 and beyond, Buffalo got punked once again by the Patriots when they shouldn’t have.
Even though Mac Jones attempted just three passes due to inclement weather, the Bills still fell 14-10 at home against the Patriots last Monday night. New England ran the ball 46 times, as Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson were enough to give the Patriots the victory in this game.
Rather than compliment Belichick for figuring out how to beat Buffalo without using his aerial attack, McDermott seemed a bit grouchy in his postgame interview, saying that the media shouldn’t get “give [Belichick] more credit than we need” for the victory. On ESPN, Ninkovich launched into an explosive rant condemning McDermott’s comments.
“Their mind is gone,” Ninkovich said. “I could say it another way. We all know what that phrase is. You fill it in. Mind is gone. They’re not going to win this next game. It’s over with.” Ninkovich also claimed that the Patriots will win “one hundred to nothing” when they meet up in New England.
Former Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich owned Sean McDermott.
Even though Harris was injured shortly after breaking off a 68-yard touchdown run, the Patriots were able to take down Allen and the Bills thanks to a rookie running back in Stevenson. Buffalo was aware that the Patriots were going to run the ball, and they still couldn’t stop them.
There’s no shame in losing to Belichick or a defense that’s this talented. However, McDermott, who is a defensive head coach, being unable to stop the run for an entire game like this is embarrassing. The least he could do is own up to his mistakes and try to learn from his shortcomings before he takes on the Patriots again.
Bill Belichick clowned Sean McDermott tonight. Don't get it twisted. Beat him in his house and had his rook QB throw it 3 times. What a joke.
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) December 7, 2021
Instead, we got an NFL head coach acting like a sore loser in a postgame interview. That sort of speech might be well received in the locker room, but doing it in front of the media just makes McDermott look whiny.
The Patriots now have what feels like a massive psychological edge over the Bills. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can run the football at will in any climate against this defense. Belichick deserves credit for figuring out how to accomplish that goal and executing his plan perfectly. No need to ask Ninkovich how he feels about it.
