New England Patriots assistant head coach Joe Judge got creative in hopes of sending a strong message to players in the locker room.
When speaking to the media on Wednesday, Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was seen wearing a new team hoodie with the words “No one is coming; it’s up to us” written on the back.
Per Smith-Schuster, the hoodies were left for every player in the locker room by Judge.
The Patriots are coming off an ugly victory over the New York Jets, but they’re still sitting at 1-2 ahead of a tough Week 4 matchup against a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the Dallas Cowboys. A loss on Sunday would likely make any hopes of a playoff run a long-shot.
JuJu Smith-Schuster wears a sweatshirt that was left for every player in the locker room (he says by assistant coach Joe Judge).
On the back it reads: “No one is coming; it’s up to us.” pic.twitter.com/lIWXKaO3hU
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 27, 2023
The players are using the words as motivation, while some Patriots fans are taking the words literally and have worked themselves into a frenzy, thinking the team won’t be pursuing any trades before the deadline.
Here’s what fans were saying about the meaning behind the new hoodie: