To get traded to New England was just unbelievable. I had heard about the culture of the team — the intense preparation and complete focus — but I didn’t really understand what that meant until the first week I was there. New England prepares with the expectation of winning. You go there as a player and you know the tradition they have, the players they have and the mindset they have. Anything other than winning is simply not an option. And I can see how they’ve maintained such success over a long period of time. When I arrived, I just had to follow everyone’s lead. The organization runs like a well-oiled machine.
Akeem Ayers Proving Myself | The Players’ Tribune
Must-read from The Player’s Tribune from Akeem Ayers with his perspective on last season, including the under-mentioned second-to-last defensive play of the Super Bowl where he and Hightower stopped Lynch just before the goal line.