Patriots rising star under fire for response to costly Week 5 performance

When the Patriots announced they would be firing Bill Belichick as head coach and hiring Jerod Mayo to succeed him, there was much hope that a toxic locker room over the last two years would finally be a thing of the past.

Several players had already expressed their desire to play for Mayo whenever and wherever he became a head coach, so it was clear they would be excited about him doing just that in New England. And for the most part, since he took over this past offseason, there was a clear change of atmosphere for the better behind the scenes.

That has been seen during practices and game days, along with players continuing to advocate for Mayo despite questioning his leadership by fans and reporters thus far.

Concerns are still lingering, however, especially after hearing from some top players last week who discussed with reporters what they deemed to be "selfish play" from some of their teammates on the defense.

It's partly what has made Keion White's most recent comments more troublesome for fans who hope the team will all be on the same page as the season progresses.

A lack of accountability from Keion White draws negative reactions from Patriots fans

The defense has not been performing up to the standard they set last year as one of the best groups in the entire NFL. While some players have stood out for their extraordinary play, others have been few and far between, leading to Davon Godchaux and Jabrill Peppers exclaiming their frustrations after a few losses in a row.

They had a massive opportunity to get back on track last week against a very depleted Dolphins offense but shot themselves in the foot far too much, with one of the worst being White.

After starting the season with an impressive four sacks through two games, the rising star pass rusher has been quiet through the last three games. That changed a bit against the Dolphins last Sunday, but not in the way anyone hoped for.

White racked up two penalties on the same drive, one for a horse collar tackle and the other for roughing the passer, resulting in 30 free yards for Miami to ultimately score another field goal. It was a giant step backward after holding their offense to just three points in the first half, and when asked about his performance, White seemingly took no responsibility for his penalties and how that impacted the team.

While speaking to NESN on Wednesday, the second-year defensive end appeared uninterested in acknowledging his mistakes that led to big yardage to their opponent and shared he lack of intention of changing his playstyle to avoid such punishments in the future.

“You win some, you lose some. I really don’t care.

As long as I’m running to the ball, being aggressive, yeah, you’re going to get penalties. But I’m not going to compromise the style of player that I am. Obviously, the style player I am, the league is trending towards a less aggressive league. I don’t care. I’m gonna still be a more old-school, heavy hitter. You take the fines when they come, but you just keep playing.

Because I feel like, personally, if I stop playing as fast and stop playing as aggressively, then I’m not going to be as dominant of a player.”

His comments aren't sitting right with fans, as Belichick's no-nonsense policy for careless play greatly impacted the Patriots' effort on game day. It immediately draws attention to Godchaux's comments about some of his teammates playing selfishly, stating, "I know some guys wanna make plays when we’re down trying to get back in the game. But, we gotta just keep going as a team and play team defense."

White's mistakes and subsequent lack of accountability play right into that narrative described by Gochaux, which raises more concerns than comfort for the progressing season.

While he doesn't have to completely abandon how he plays the game, of course, White should adjust some of his habits in order to avoid potentially worse penalties in the future.

Because the Patriots hope to become a more competitive team moving forward, it's probably fair to assume if he doesn't make the adjustments, he will have to deal with the consequences imposed by the coaching staff.

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