Telvin Smith Is Going Out Of His Way To Say The Patriots Are Disrespecting Him
Telvin Smith is feeling disrespected. And the Jaguars linebacker has quite an interesting reason why. He feels that the Patriots disrespected the Jaguars … by showing him too much respect.
Tom Brady and other Patriots quickly began heaping praise on the Jaguars in their first media availability ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game in Foxboro. Smith obviously took notice, particularly at Brady calling the Jags “the biggest challenge we’ve faced all year.” An incredulous Smith couldn’t help but react to the Patriots’ compliments on Twitter.
“Bruh this the oldest trick…pump us up in the media but in the buildin I kno what’s really bein said,” Smith’s tweet reads. He follows that up with a raised fist emoji, the word “Respect,” and a goat emoji.
Telvin Smith of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts after returning a fumble for a 50-yard touchdown during the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jaguars won 45-42. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Smith’s right about one thing. The Patriots will always praise their opponents in the media. It’s a clear attempt to avoid giving them the dreaded Bulletin Board Material™. But Smith is truly reaching here.
To Trash-Talk Or Not To Trash-Talk
What exactly does Smith want the Patriots to do? If they did the opposite, if they did what the Steelers did, he wouldn’t like that either. In fact he’d like it far less. And it’s highly unlikely anyway that the Pats are saying much different behind the scenes. Even if they don’t feel as strongly as they’re saying publicly, this is the AFC Championship Game they’re preparing for. Not the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
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You can probably count on both hands (maybe just one) the amount of times the Patriots had a letdown game against a clearly inferior opponent in the entire Brady/Bill Belichick run. In the playoffs there’s pretty much only two clear ones: the 2009 Wild Card loss to the Ravens and the 2010 divisional loss to the Jets. Games like the Patriots’ ugly loss to the Dolphins in Week 14 are exceedingly rare.
Telvin Smith is looking for ways to pump himself up and you can’t blame him for that. The Jaguars are going to need a superlative effort on defense (and in the red zone) in order to have a chance on Sunday. But if he thinks the Patriots are taking the Jags as lightly as the Steelers did, he will be sorely mistaken.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
