Week 5 will go down as a memorable one in what the Patriots hope is a successful rebuilding year. But for two Patriots players, the win over Buffalo was an expensive one. That’s because the NFL doled out punishment for defensive linemen Cory Durden and Joshua Farmer based on violations committed against the Bills.
The two penalties were on a critical drive that came in the fourth quarter and nearly allowed the Bills to come back after New England built a 20-10 lead. While the win over the Bills showed the Patriots’ poise, it also did show some youthful mistakes.
The Durden and Farmer plays were examples of that. The fines are not hefty, but Durden will have his pay docked $5,722 according to the league’s accountability office, and Farmer will take a hit of $5,591.
Patriots Were Flagged at Critical Time
On a first-and-10 from the Buffalo 49-yard line, the Patriots appeared to stop the Bills for no gain on a pass by Josh Allen. But Durden, with 11:21 to play, was whistled for a roughing the passer call on Allen, granting the Bills 15 yards, moving them to the Patriots’ 36.
There, Allen set up a handoff to running back James Cook, a play that lost four yards.
But Farmer was called for unnecessary roughness–another 15-yard penalty–after he came storming in and hit Cook after Cook’s knee was down.
Mike Vrabel Defended Joshua Farmer
As coach Mike Vrabel pointed out, that was a tough call on Farmer because the play looked like a flea-flicker.
“I think there has to be an aggressiveness to the way that we play. But also, that comes into the decision-making and when to make a great decision,” Vrabel said.
“It’s hard for me to sit here and fault Josh [Joshua Farmer] from last week. There’s no whistle, and the running back’s acting like he’s going to flip the ball back at a quarterback. I certainly would have liked to not have had a penalty called, but I can see it both ways. Just ask that they blow the whistle. That’s an easy way for us to say that the play’s over and our efforts need to stop.”
Patriots Should Be Aggressive, not ‘Reckless’
The plays came 20 seconds apart, and pushed the Bills to the 25-yard line of the Patriots. Buffalo scored six plays later to make it a 20-17 game. The Bills did tie up the game at 20, but New England won on a field goal with 20 seconds to go.
Farmer is a fourth-round rookie out of Florida State, with the Patriots on a contract worth $840,000 this season. Durden is a third-year veteran signed on a minimum $1 million contract.
Vrabel said he wants his guys to know well the line between being aggressive and being reckless.
Said Vrabel: “We’ll keep coaching it. It’s not that it’s not important – it’s important, but it’s also – there’s something behind it. I tell you, every X play run … there’s probably a hold. They don’t call, that they don’t miss. They don’t see or they don’t feel like they should call it. That’s kind of what happens. You want to be aggressive, certainly just not reckless.”
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