FOXBOROUGH — With a month left in the season, the 3-10 Patriots have nothing to play for in the standings.
Jerod Mayo’s team has already been mathematically eliminated from postseason play and they’re guaranteed their third straight losing season. In his ninth NFL year, Austin Hooper has seen all sorts of Decembers play out. No matter the standings, the veteran tight end believes everyone on New England’s roster needs to answer a blunt question over the final month of the season.
“Every game, you’re not just being watched by this team. You’re being watched by every team. So what do you want to put out there? Do you want bust your ass for your teammates or do you want to get ready for the offseason?” Hooper said in the Gillette Stadium locker room on Monday morning. “I’ve been in this situation a couple times with different teams. It just comes down to personal choice. Are you looking for what vacation you want to go to or do you want to be a professional and handle your business? So that’s a decision we all have to make individually.”
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Hooper was then asked how he responds to naysayers who don’t think the last month of the season holds any meaning.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That’s the beauty of the First Amendment. But I mean, at the the end of the day, it’s an individual choice. What do you want to do? Do you want to keep busting your ass for your guys or do you want to look forward to the offseason?” Hooper reiterated. “It’s an individual choice we all have to make. I think we have a good amount of leaders in that locker room that kind of relayed the message. Like, ‘All right guys, this is our opportunity. We’ve been pushing and making progress in areas despite what our record may indicate. So it’s just an opportunity to keep this young team — we’ve gotta just keep pushing it the right way.’
“So again, individual choice on what you want to do. How you want to handle it. If you want to be a professional or if you want to be a young player. So at the end of the day, everyone is an adult now legally. So it’s up to you how you handle yourself as a professional.”
