Should the Patriots move on from Jerod Mayo? — Mike M.
It’s crazy to say this, but I need to see how the next three weeks go. Mayo should be coaching for his job the rest of the way.
I’m generally against one-and-done coaches, I think that reeks of a dysfunctional organization — but that’s what the Patriots are on the verge of becoming
Last weekend was an absolute disaster in the desert.
Coming off a bye week, the Patriots still weren’t ready to go. They fell behind by two scores early, repeated a ton of the same mistakes, and it was never a competitive game. It was ugly as could be.
And I thought Mayo’s postgame comments were just as bad, if not worse than the performance on the field.
I think a lot of media stuff is overblown — there’s a reason Nick Saban called it rat poison — but throwing Alex Van Pelt under the bus with the “you said it, I didn’t” was bush league. It’s one thing when Mayo has to walk back a comment about burning cash (February), calling his team soft (Week 7), or the Malcolm Butler play (Week 11), but passive-aggressively blaming the offensive coordinator’s play-calling is a different level.
Mayo is supposed to be a leader. What message does it send the locker room when he’s pointing fingers? Not to mention, it’s his team. Mayo can overrule Van Pelt any time he wants. He didn’t.
He needs to own that.
And look, I buy that the personnel is an issue. I really do. It’s glaring on the offensive side of the ball, particularly on the line. Guys are just overmatched. That’s how Van Pelt’s back-to-back runs inside the 5-yard line were blown up. There are maybe five starting-caliber players on that entire offense.
But what about the defense?
Mayo’s background is on defense — as a player and a coach — and that group has regressed to an insane degree. A Top 10 unit each of the last three years, New England currently sits 21st in total defense and their DVOA ranking is even worse. Injuries can’t be used as an excuse anymore, as Ja’Whaun Bentley is the only integral piece missing.
The mediocre Cardinals scored on six of their eight drives before running the clock out at the end. They’re not tackling and getting worse as the season goes on, not better. A lot of the pieces are the same. What has Mayo done to fix things?
Nothing thus far.
So, I’m not ready to pull the plug yet, but Mayo really needs to show up over the final three games. This shouldn’t just be an audition for players. He’s thrown himself into the deep end, too.
Mayo needs to be sharper on the sideline and at the podium. Otherwise, I really think there’s a case to be made for infusing this organization with new blood in the offseason.
Who are the real vocal leaders on this team? — Richard G.
There aren’t really any left, and I think that’s a major issue.
The Patriots lost David Andrews and Ja’Whaun Bentley to injury early in the season, and then Jabrill Peppers was away for the team for an extended period of time following his arrest.
He’s since lost his captainship. Of the six initial players voted captains, those were the loudest leaders.
The three remaining were Deatrich Wise, who’s naturally a lead-by-example type, longsnapper Joe Cardona and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, neither of whom are in conventional leadership roles.
Devin McCourty actually identified this as an issue in the latest episode of “Eye On Foxborough,” too.
“I look at this team, and I mean no disrespect to anybody in that locker room, I don’t see the guys that are going to say, ‘This is how we get better. This is what we need to do,’” McCourty said. “And I think that has to be the key for the Patriots going forward as they build around Drake Maye. They got to identify some guys that are going to be not just leaders, but like vocal leaders, guys that can rally guys and do that, because I think that’s more important than how good a guy is.
“And I like you’re starting to try to build for the future. You need guys that just have that edge about them that other guys look at them and say, ‘I want to follow him,’” he added. “And I think that’s where they’ve struggled this year, to have guys say, ‘I want to follow them.’ Right now it’s all dependent on Jerod, it’s all dependent on the first-year head coach to get every single thing right for this team to move in that direction. And it’s really hard to do.”
Has Mayo shown any “flashes” as a HC? — Matt
Yes.
It feels a lifetime ago, but the season opener in Cincinnati was well-executed across the board. And though he was widely panned for it, I think Mayo was right when he called his team soft in London. They were soft and the players responded with their best stretch of the season, winning two of their next three, and the lone loss came in overtime. Now, the Patriots did choose the wrong direction for overtime in that game and kicked into the wind, but regardless, I think the soft comment resonated for a spell.
For the sake of the “youth movement,” any chance Joe Milton III is activated to QB2 with Jacoby Brissett as QB3/emergency backup? — Brett J.
Great minds think alike! I actually asked Mayo this question last week, though he didn’t seem too bullish on making that switch.
“As it stands today, I still see Jacoby in that role,” Mayo said last Friday. “Again, who knows what happens, and I reserve the right to change my mind on these things. As of today, Jacoby is still our number two quarterback.”
You guys usually fly the day before the game, right? What does a beat writer do on a December Saturday in Buffalo? — Miller
Bundle up, grab a couple pints, and watch the CFP.
