Michael Felger caused a stir among Patriots fans, and a former New England offensive coordinator weighed in on the drama.
Drake Maye was out on vacation and proposed to his girlfriend this week. That wasn’t a reasonable excuse for Felger, who criticized the rookie quarterback for not being present at Mike Vrabel’s introductory news conference. Fans bashed the 98.5 The Sports Hub host, which caused Felger to double down on his take.
O’Brien, who hired Vrabel as his defensive coordinator when he was Houston Texans head coach, weighed in on the controversy.
“I just speak for myself, I could care less,” O’Brien said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Thursday. “When the offseason program starts, you want the guy in the front row ready to go. It’s not about press conferences. Someone told me, ‘It’s all great at the press conference and then it’s all downhill from there.’ The press conferences are great, but who cares who’s at the press conference?”
Patriots fans might remember seeing Mac Jones show up at Jerod Mayo’s introductory news conference. O’Brien’s wisdom came to light as Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars months later.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Felger triple down when he gets back on air Thursday. But it doesn’t seem like anyone in the Patriots organization is sweating Maye’s no-show at Vrabel’s news conference.