The defender met with the media after the Patriots’ 40-7 loss to the Chargers.
After perhaps the defense’s best performance of the season under coordinator DeMarcus Covington last week in a 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots’ defense could not replicate the success on Saturday. The Los Angeles Chargers put up a season-high 40 points, which again opens the door for potential changes on the defensive side of the ball.
Count defensive lineman Keion White as someone who expects to see a major shakeup.
“I mean, I hope so, if changes aren’t made, then what are we doing?,” he shared. “The NFL is a production-based business, so if we’re not doing anything to change our production, which is loss, what are we doing?”
As for the exact changes White is hoping for?
“It’s not for me to decide. First and foremost, I’m changing me, changing how I play the game,” said White.
After posting four sacks in the first two weeks of the season, White has recorded just one in the last 14 games while he has shared the displeasure for his own run defense. White’s usage and fit in New England’s style of defense has certainly been a cause of some problems, perhaps leading to him looking for change.
“I think you should play well every game. That’s the bottom line at the end of the day,” White said. “Are we doing it right now? No, so at the end of the day, something needs to change.”
Following White’s comments to MassLive this past week about his future, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo shared he had a “great conversation” with his second-year defensive lineman.
“We kind of talked through it, some of the things, the way he said it isn’t what he meant,” Mayo said prior to Saturday’s game. “But that’s what it is when you talk to the media. Make sure that every word is concise and clear. But we’re on a good page.”
In the locker room after the Patriots 40-7 defeat to the Chargers, White, who agreed is on a good page with his coach, rang a different tune when asked what he meant about him evaluating his future.
“Exactly what I said,” White said.
“NFL is a production-based business. My job is to produce. If I want to have a future in the NFL, I got to produce more — and that’s the way I feel. The standard I hold to myself, I think I can be a really good player in the league and I’m not showing it. Whether it be a disconnect or it be me, that’s on me to figure out.”