Jerod Mayo’s debut season as head coach of the New England Patriots has taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Despite tempered expectations for a rebuilding roster, the Patriots have stumbled mightily through the early part of the season, reaching a grim 1-6 record after a 32-16 loss to the Jaguars in London on Sunday.
With six consecutive losses and growing dysfunction on the field, Mayo’s position is under increasing scrutiny.
While New England’s lack of depth has been a challenge, the team’s marked decline in defensive performance, discipline issues, and Mayo’s own postgame remarks have drawn widespread criticism.
Notably, Mayo labeled his squad as “soft” following the loss to Jacksonville, a comment that ruffled feathers both within the team and beyond.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Devin McCourty have publicly questioned the coach’s choice of words, and current players have voiced their frustration on social media.
Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal raised concerns about Mayo’s future, pointing to internal doubts about the hire that date back to the offseason.
Speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz,” Bedard suggested that Mayo’s job could be in jeopardy if the Patriots fail to show improvement over the rest of the season.
“I think that there were some thoughts during the summer that there were questions going on around the building about whether this was the right thing for the program,” Bedard said of owner Robert Kraft’s initial decision to hire Mayo.
“There was some second-guessing, second thoughts about it. And I’ll tell you, it’s my opinion from talking to people that I don’t think Jerod Mayo is assured of a second season if this is a complete dumpster fire.
“Now I don’t think that’s likely, but considering where we are in Week 7, they are weeks away from even a bye week trying to reset, not that that’s going to do any good with this coaching staff. … But I think it would be wise for Jerod to get on top of things.
“If that means him going into the defense meeting room, taking over play calling, something. If this is the way the rest of the season is going to go, a lot of people are going to get fired.”
Of course, there’s the report that Kraft had promised Mayo that he’d be Belichick’s successor in New England. While Kraft surely didn’t expect Belichick’s departure to come so soon, he stuck by his promise to Mayo.
You have to wonder if he’s regretting making that promise now…
While Bedard doesn’t believe Kraft is ready to make sweeping changes just yet, he noted that the situation could escalate quickly if the team’s struggles continue.
“It’s getting worse by the week, and you have a coach who just went to the podium and called his players ‘soft’ and now you have Belichick – the deposed ‘dictator’ – basically like asking for a mutiny to rise up with his comments and whistles that he’s blowing for his guys,” Bedard continued.
“I do not think it’s assured that Jerod Mayo is back for a second season, along with a lot of other people in that building. Like, the Krafts are not going to be embarrassed, and Sunday was embarrassing. And they still have 10 more games to go.”
Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston echoed similar concerns on WEEI, stating that Mayo is “at a level of risk” of losing the locker room after Sunday’s comments, despite attempting to walk them back on Monday.
“I think they all acknowledged, Mayo included, definitely Kraft, ‘Look, this is going to be a year with some bumps and fits and starts.’ I don’t think in their wildest dreams did they play out and game-play [the] worst-case scenario, but this is playing out as worst-case scenario,” Curran said.
“I just don’t think that with a first-year head coach, first-year coordinator, first-year coordinator on the defensive side, that they ever game-played that it was going to be this bad. So, Mayo needs help.”
With ten games still remaining, the pressure on Mayo is building as the Patriots try to salvage what has been a disaster of a season to this point.
What are your thoughts on the reports that Mayo could be one-and-done in New England?
Do you think Kraft is regretting his decision to fire Belichick???
