After already being eliminated from the playoffs, the Miami Dolphins traveled to Foxboro last January for the regular-season finale.
Miami hoped to end a challenging season on a high note against the Patriots. But after just one play, linebacker K.J. Britt knew that would be a tall task.
“I remember last year playing them — the last game of the season. It was cold, Week 18, we weren’t going to the playoffs, so everybody was like, ‘We going out with a bang,’ Britt recalled.
“I remember the first play
of offense, I was on the sideline watching them fire off the ball. It looked different than any team that we had played against. I was like, ‘Man, them boys — they coming off the ball.’ You could tell they had a different level of physicality.”
The Patriots went on to defeat the Dolphins 38-10 to secure their 14th win of the regular season. New England followed that with three straight playoff victories to reach the Super Bowl.
None of the success surprised Britt.
“I just remember watching that game, I was like they hitting. As a football player, some people welcome it, some people shy down from it. We see it — when guys are firing off the ball and look like they want it a little bit more. And for 60 minutes, that’s a long game,” Britt said. “I can see why they won so many games last year, especially before they went on to the Super Bowl. It didn’t surprise me because of what I saw last year when I came up here and played.”
New England’s physical style stuck with Britt. When the linebacker reached free agency in March, joining Mike Vrabel and the Patriots was at the top of his list. That ultimately transpired as he signed a one-year deal with the team.
Through two weeks of the team’s voluntary offseason program, Britt has enjoyed being on the other side of tests physicality.
“Bunch of blue-collar guys. I like it. This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to come up here and work with guys that are like-minded, because you have some prima-donnas in this league. You have some guys who like to play the game because of the fame that comes with it. You’ve got some guys who love to play the game because it’s a game — it’s the game that you’ve been playing since you were young,” he said.
“A lot of these guys, man, they love ball. They love football. When you love football and you’re around a lot of guys who love football, it’s contagious. It makes you want to step up your game. It makes you want to compete at a different level. It changes how you approach everything. I can see it in this building.”
