Patriots Rumors: Jerod Mayo, Coaching Staff Seen as ‘Safe’ Amid 3-8 Record

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVNovember 18, 2024

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The New England Patriots have started 3-8 on the season under new head coach Jerod Mayo and rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

But according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, “At this point in the season, people around the league believe that [Mayo’s] coaching staff is safe.”

New England’s struggles aren’t some huge surprise. The team was just 4-13 last season in Bill Belichick’s final campaign and underwent major changes, hiring a new coaching staff and promoting former director of scouting Eliot Wolf to the position of executive vice president of player personnel (essentially the Patriots’ version of a general manager).

But you can’t replace an entire roster in one offseason, and many of the players who struggled in Belichick’s final years remained in New England. Add in a rookie quarterback in Maye—who has looked like an excellent pick thus far but will nonetheless endure the ups and downs of being a first-year player—and the Patriots were never going to be a playoff contender.

That the team is currently ahead of its win pace from last season should be seen as a step in the right direction. That doesn’t mean there isn’t concern with some of Mayo’s decisions this season, of course.

Andrew Callahan @_AndrewCallahanI swear I’m tired of writing “the #Patriots got out-coached” columns.

But when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combine for 3 TDs and 70+% of all Rams targets, without seeing a single double-team, what else do you call it?

C’mon, Jerod. Column:https://t.co/azlkBuXpNy pic.twitter.com/GE8Hap77YG

Ben Volin @BenVolin”Our whole sideline thought they were going to go for it,” one Rams coach said.

But Jerod Mayo seemed to coach scared against the Rams instead of coaching to win.https://t.co/rcPYn9JSvV

He also raised some eyebrows in October when he called the team “soft” following a 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“We’re a soft football team across the board,” he told reporters. “We talk about what makes a tough football team, and that’s being able to run the ball, being able to stop the run and that’s being able to cover kicks. We did none of those.”

He later walked back those comments slightly.

“I felt like we just went out there and played soft. We’re playing soft at the moment,” he told reporters. “Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? One hundred percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day.”

There was pushback to his remarks in the media, though his own players agreed with his assessment at the time.

Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow”The Patriots led the league in rushing defense last year and they still have a lot of those players..

I’m hurt for those guys because they’re not soft..

I feel bad for the defensive players because they’re all tough players” ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wVN9ufcNMg

NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL”If your team is soft … that’s on you!”

Rex Ryan unloads on Patriots HC Jerod Mayo 😳 pic.twitter.com/DXibgXF8ic

Kevin Clark @bykevinclarkI said the Patriots could be average this year. I was WRONG and it was one of my take mulligans on this episode. If your team is soft you are either coaching it or allowing it, so I was very disappoitned in Jerod Mayo this week. @mikegolicjr and I discuss on TIF. pic.twitter.com/TLoNpwrtrP

“He said it well and we got to look in the mirror and understand what he’s saying,” veteran linebacker Jahlani Tavai told reporters at the time. “If we’re OK being soft, then some people will fall off, and the rest of us who want to prove that wrong will step up and make sure this doesn’t happen.”

Mayo’s first season has been rocky at times. But it sounds as though he’ll get at least a second year to iron out some of the kinks.