Jarvis Landry tried to blame it on Migos.
But everybody knows what he was going for once he started talking, and it was wonderful.
When the Dolphins wide receiver scored his second touchdown in last night’s upset win over the Patriots, his elaborate celebration began with him pushing on the ball while it was on the ground. But he wasn’t giving it CPR.
“I’m taking the air out the ball!” Landry said, via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “I’m deflating it!”
He credited the inspiration for the dance to the Migos song “MotorSport,” which name-drops Patriots coach Bill Belichick then includes the lyric: “Take the air out the ball, just so I can flex.” (And I know that not solely because I have the Google, but because I have teenage children who take over the aux cord in the car. #selfawareness)
But there was that other thing, that now that we think about it, might have been on his mind. You know, the Patriots were once accused of deflating things. Maybe you read about it.
“This song right here,” Landry said by the locker room speaker. “Take the air out the ball. Just so I can flex. This song right here! I’m not going to say the rest because you all are going to take that out of context again.”
OK Jarvis, whatever you say.
Landry’s been willing to speak boldly about the Patriots, saying in the spring they were no longer the big brother in the division, and guaranteeing a sweep. He was half right on that account, but said the game was a huge lift to the Dolphins, who are now a game behind the final playoff spot with three to play.
“Our spirits needed it,” he said. “Our spirits needed it honestly, man. We haven’t really been down you know? But at the same time man when you lose five games in a row it’s always tough to start that train back over again and we started it back last weekend. To keep it going against a team like this it’s so important for us for the rest of the season and try to make a run and see if we can do it.’”
And, if they can get a veiled shot in at the Patriots in the process, all the better.