The New England Patriots are desperately trying to turn things around after losing six straight games. They have an excellent opportunity to do so against the New York Jets in Week 8. The Jets are similarly struggling after having lost four straight following their Week 3 win against the Patriots. Jerod Mayo & Co. may not find a better chance to get back on track against their division rivals.

Unfortunately, however, the news out of the Patriots locker room doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.

First, it was Jerod Mayo calling the team soft. Then, it was offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt telling the players to take better care of themselves and work harder. The last thing came after the Week 7 loss to the Jaguars in London.

Veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne blamed his teammates for going out and staying out too late.

While it’s certainly feasible that the young players on the team can do better, it’s also the job of the team veterans and the coaching staff to lead them. Publicly criticizing them is rarely the best way to get young players to perform better.

The Patriots under Bill Belichick have long been an organization that struggled to develop young players. Fans had hoped that first-time head coach Jerod Mayo would change the team culture, especially in a rebuilding season with a developmental focus.

The fact that things are going this poorly chemistry-wise in a season where nobody expected the Patriots to win games is not a good sign. Mayo has seemingly already lost the locker room and that might be hard to come back from going forward.