Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai denies report that team’s locker room is ‘teetering on a mutiny’

"I don't know about that."

Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai adresses locker room rumor, quarterback situation: One of the Patriots’ top defensive players denied that there’s drama going on behind the scenes in Foxborough.

Jahlani Tavai doesn’t believe the Patriots’ locker room is in a bad place, refuting a report that said the team was bordering a “mutiny.”

“I don’t know about that,” Tavai said when asked about the report on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “It’s definitely not like that in the locker room. I actually think the past few weeks has brought the locker room closer together, especially on the defensive side. We have a lot of leaders stepping up, and we got a big message from one of our teammates about how we have to take another step.

“We have to do extra. We have to do more in order to get us going.”

As the Patriots have lost their last three game to drop to 1-3, there were some signs of frustration among the players during their loss to the 49ers in Week 4. For instance, wide receiver DeMario Douglas showed he was upset with not being targeted on a couple of Jacoby Brissett’s passes.

While Douglas expressed remorse for his actions during Sunday’s game, that might not mean things are entirely OK in the locker room. In an episode of the “Catch 22” podcast, Patriots.com reporter Evan Lazar said the team was “teetering on a mutiny in that locker room” following the loss to the 49ers.

“I was in that locker room on Sunday, the defense is mad at the defense, the offense is mad at the offense,” Lazar said.

The episode of the podcast was reportedly removed from the Patriots’ YouTube channel on Thursday, causing some controvery overnight.

If there frustrations within the locker room, New England’s quarterback situation could be one of the reasons for it. Brissett has thrown for just 536 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception through the first four games, with Douglas already expressing some frustration over a lack of targets on multiple occasions already this season.

As external calls for the Patriots to start third-overall pick Drake Maye have louder, Tavai is staying out of the quarterback debate.

“I don’t know, you gotta ask Coach [Jerod] Mayo about that one,” Tavai said when asked if he felt Brissett gave the team the best chance to win. “My job is to make sure I make the right calls, make some tackles, and get the ball back into their hands.

“I’m more worried about the defense,” Tavai added. “I’m trying to make sure we’re on top of our communication. That’s one of the biggest things that we need to have on defense. You’ve got to ask one of the offensive guys.”

Trivia: The Patriots are facing the possibility of a 1-4 start for the second straight season. When was the last time they went 1-4 in the first five games in back-to-back seasons?

(Hint: They drafted a quarterback in the first round and hired a Hall of Fame head coach in between the two seasons.)

Scores and schedules:

The Bruins lost their penultimate game of the preseason, falling to the Kings, 4-1, in Quebec City. They’ll close the preseason when they take on the Capitals in Washington on Saturday. Boston will open the regular season in Florida, where it’ll take on the defending champion Panthers on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Celtics open their preseason schedule on Friday. They take on the Nuggets at noon in the first game of a two-game set in Abu Dhabi. The second game is at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Boston College football looks to improve to 5-1 when it takes on Virginia at noon on Saturday. The Eagles will have quarterback Thomas Castellanos back after he missed their win against Western Kentucky.

The Revolution will play their final match at home in the regular season on Saturday. They host D.C. United at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, the Patriots host the Dolphins at 1 p.m. on Sunday as they look to improve to 2-3.

More from Boston.com:

• Patriots reportedly take down podcast episode after reporter says team is ‘teetering on a mutiny’
• Will David Andrews’ injury halt Drake Maye’s timeline for starting reps?

Celtics having fun in Abu Dhabi

Ahead of their first preseason game on Friday, the Celtics visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

They also brought a football with them to practice.

On this day

Twenty-three years ago, the Bruins retired Ray Bourque’s jersey number, No. 77. The occasion came when the Bruins played their season-opener for the 2001-02 season, which was the first regular-season game after Bourque announced his retirement.

Of course, Bourque didn’t close his playing career in Boston. The Bruins traded him to the Avalanche in the middle of the 1999-2000 season, in hopes that Bourque would win a Stanley Cup before his career ended.

Bourque wound up winning his first and only Stanley Cup in the 2000-01 season, helping the Avalanche beat the Devils in seven games. Three days after Colorado’s win, Bourque returned to Boston for a rally at City Hall Plaza to celebrate the title. He offiically announced his retirement a couple of weeks later.

Trivia answer: 1992 and 1993