Rosevelt Colvin: Jamie Collins Trade Won't Adversely Affect Patriots Locker Room
BOSTON (CBS) -- Rosevelt Colvin spent six seasons with the New England Patriots (with a brief stint in Houston in-between), so he got to see first-hand how Bill Belichick and the team did business on many occasions. That's why he wasn't terribly surprised to see Belichick trade Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns at an unexpected time.
Since Belichick gave no insight into the deal himself, everyone else has been left to guess what happened. Two theories that quickly emerged in the fallout of the trade are that Belichick made the move because Collins was "freelancing" too much on the field during games and "going rogue" from the coaching staff, and that Belichick made the move to "send a message" to the locker room in light of the defense's disappointing performance so far in 2016.
Colvin rejected those ideas when he joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Friday.
"People have to understand, this is a locker room, this is a culture, that's totally different than the Dolphins, totally different from the Cowboys," said Colvin. "[Belichick]'s not going to be held hostage from a negotiation standpoint, so I don't think that this was that type of situation. I don't think he had to come out and say, 'Hey, I'm going to trade this guy to send a message to the locker room.'
"I don't think it was because [Collins] was going rogue, and I don't think it was because Bill was trying to send a message."
The reaction inside the Patriots locker room has been one of shock, based on the responses from defensive leaders like Devin McCourty, Dont'a Hightower, and Malcolm Butler. Others have theorized that the move could have the opposite effect of what Belichick is ostensibly expecting, like the 2009 season that created a toxic environment in the wake of the surprise Richard Seymour trade.
Colvin doesn't foresee the same kind of issues infecting the Patriots locker room like it did in the past - because Belichick wouldn't let it happen with other players.
"Not in that locker room," said Colvin when asked if the Collins trade could have a negative effect. "You've got enough pressure just trying to stay relevant on the team. If you take another two days sulking because your buddy got traded, you'll be next on the block. Because Bill is all about winning that next game. Go out there and have a bad game and you say, 'You know what? I'm missing my buddy,' well, he's going to give you an opportunity to go see your buddy.
"This dude is all about business, and if you're not on that same page ... it is what it is."
Colvin also shed light on how it felt when he had to part ways with both the Patriots and Chicago Bears, and the tough realities of business in the NFL. Listen to the full podcast below:
