The heated exchange between Christian Barmore and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stemmed from a “dirty” play from Jets right tackle Armand Membou, the New England defensive tackle claimed postgame.
“What happened was sorry ass No. 70 do dirty-ass s–t behind my back,” Barmore said, according to the Boston Herald. “People want to talk s–t, but he ain’t out there on this field. I’m just saying, bro. They want to act tough, you go in the locker room. … The play was already over. I heard the whistle blown. Bro came behind me and literally landed his whole body on my back.”
On the final play of the first half, after Brady Cook handed the ball off to Isaiah Davis to drain the final few seconds, Membou continued to block Barmore and landed on top of him as Davis ran upfield.
That led to Barmore and Membou jawing at each other as Vrabel stepped in to address Barmore, with the pair having an animated discussion for nearly a dozen seconds as the Patriots went back to the visiting locker room at MetLife Stadium.
Barmore said that Vrabel — in his first season as the Patriots’ coach — told him to “keep my head in the game,” according to the Herald.
“I was just reminding everybody to keep their composure,” Vrabel told reporters of his exchange with Barmore. “We have an identity we’ve shown, and that we’ve put out there on the football field, and to make great decisions for the football team. We don’t want to give people free yards. That was it. Just a reminder.”
Membou, the Jets’ first-round pick in April’s draft at No. 7 overall, didn’t address the incident postgame.
By that point, the Jets already trailed, 35-3, and had allowed New England quarterback Drake Maye to throw five touchdowns before sitting for most of the second half.
Cook, Membou and the Gang Green offense struggled to produce points again in their 42-10 loss, and they’ll face the Bills in Week 18 to close their latest dismal season without a playoff berth.
The Patriots, though, continued their stark turnaround from last season with a 13th victory that ultimately allowed them to clinch the AFC East title when Buffalo lost to the Eagles later Sunday evening.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
