Mankins on M&M: Hopeful to play Sunday

Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins checked in with Mut & Merloni on Friday, as the team prepares for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Seattle.

Pats linebacker Brandon Spikes has been criticized this week for a joke he tweeted about homosexuals. Mankins, who on Thursday was asked by news reporters for his opinion of the situation, said he has little patience for distractions such as this. He also noted that Bill Belichick warns players early on to avoid such situations.

"[Belichick] addresses it early in the season and expects us to be smart enough, mature enough and care enough about your teammates to not do stuff to bring more distractions in," Mankins said. "Just like, I don't want to talk about this. It has nothing to do with me. But just because it happened, now everyone else has to talk about it. We would rather be focused on football than that. So I think that's why he coaches our team that way, so we don't have to deal with things like this."

Mankins missed the Bills game on Sept. 20 and sat out the latter part of Sunday's win over the Broncos as he deals with injuries to his hip and leg.

"It's getting better," he said. "I had that week off to rest, so everything has healed up a little bit and I'm feeling pretty good now."

Asked about the likelihood of him playing on Sunday, Mankins said: "I don't know, we're still taking it day by day. There's always a possibility. So, hopefully."

The Patriots have demonstrated an improve rushing game this year, including consecutive games with 250-plus yards on the ground. 

"It's a great feeling. We're always proud to run the ball like that," Mankins said. "We know it's a passing league now. There's not that many teams running the ball that effectively. For us to have two really good games in a row is great, and it helps our team win. Shoot, I would love to do that every week. It's just, some weeks you're not going to be able to."

Stevan Ridley rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown in the win over Denver, but he fumbled the ball away late in the game. Mankins said Ridley is aware that he needs to protects the ball better.

"He takes his job very seriously, and he wants to do the right thing for the team and he wants to make the right plays," Mankins said. "We knew he was disappointed. I was on the sideline late in the fourth quarter because I came out of the game, and I just told Rid, 'Don't worry about it, we're still all behind you.' You could see in his face, he was highly disappointed. He felt like he had let the team down. He takes those things personal, and he just wants to do whatever's right."

To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page [1]. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots [2].