New England Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy spoke about teammate Jalen Mills tweeting his frustration over playing time. He empathized with the veteran safety, who voiced his displeasure on Wednesday afternoon.
Mills only had 10 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, which was tied with rookie safety Ameer Speed for the lowest.
Guy admitted to having been in the same position before. Now, he is an integral part of the New England defensive line and has been for the past several years.
“I’ve been in that frustration part,” Guy said, when talking to the media on Thursday. “He works hard. He works hard every single day. If you ask a question in a meeting, he knows that meeting. He knows the answer, like boom, he could spit it out.
“This is how the dice are rolled right now, but it doesn’t stop his preparation. It doesn’t stop his work ethic on the field. That’s kudos to him. I understand certain situations are what they are, but I can tell you this, the grind that man has on the field, and the passion he has, is amazing. And like I said, if you ask him any question about the opponent, he knows everything about it. It just didn’t roll that way this week.”
Patriots DT Lawrence Guy wasn’t aware that DB Jalen Mills had tweeted about apparent frustration with his playing time, but Guy empathized with him while reflecting on how he went through a similar situation in 2019. pic.twitter.com/xg4iQeVIZ5
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 12, 2023
Mills’ frustration is understandable, as New England has struggled to find depth defensively. He has been an important part of the Patriots defense during his tenure with the team.
Whether that leads to more playing time or not remains to be seen.