Lane Johnson Doubles Down On Patriots Comments: ‘Is That Necessarily The Guideline To Win The Super Bowl?’
If Lane Johnson’s goal was to walk back or clarify his recent comments on the Patriots, he didn’t exactly do the best job of that.
The Philadelphia Eagles right tackle went back on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast to talk more about his recent remarks about the Patriots, which sparked controversy. Pretty much nationwide. And several former Patriots players were among those who fired back.
Most media outlets reported that Johnson said he would rather be happy and win one Super Bowl than be “miserable” and win five, like the Patriots have with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. That’s not exactly how it went down; he and the hosts were mostly joking in that moment. But he didn’t exactly back down from that comment when he had a chance to clarify.
“The Patriots, obviously, they’ve won five Super Bowls,” said Johnson on Friday’s PMT podcast (interview starts at the 59-minute mark). So it’s the Patriot way to win the Super Bowl. Does that mean that everybody has to act the same way? Do the same thing? Is that necessarily the guideline to win the Super Bowl?”
When asked about the reaction in the sports media world, Johnson doubled down even more. And also essentially called guys like Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown liars, if we’re being honest.
“They kept interviewing ex-Patriots players. What do you think they’re going to say?” said Johnson. “They’re not going to bad-mouth their coach. They’re not going to say what they really want to say. Do you think that’s gonna happen? Hell no that’s not going to happen.”
Doubling Down
Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks to the media during Super Bowl Media Day. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Johnson basically implied that all those ex-Patriots players – particularly the ones who won three Super Bowls in four years – would have rather been in his spot. One Super Bowl, but hey we had fun.
There were other parts of the interview that were clearly facetious that might be taken out of context (again), but Johnson is doubling down on the most important comments. And he’s still kind of missing the point. Nobody’s saying the Patriots’ way of handling their business is the only way to win a Super Bowl.
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But if you want to win five – even two – Super Bowls in a sustained period of time, and also contend for the Super Bowl year after year like the Patriots do, then you most likely need to take your business more seriously than the Eagles are.
Just look at Pete Carroll’s Seahawks. They’re loose, they have fun, but they’ve barely sniffed a chance at making the Super Bowl since they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. And they might be close to flaming out entirely.
Still Plenty To Prove
If Johnson and the Eagles can win three out of four Super Bowls while having all that fun that he likes to have, then they’ll prove that the Patriots’ way isn’t the only way. They had one great Super Bowl. But as far as reaching the heights of the Patriots over the past 17 seasons, they haven’t proven a damn thing yet.
— 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].
