FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged he made a mistake in how he answered a query on offensive playcalling after the New England Patriots’ 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which may have been interpreted as him being at odds with coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
A key a part of the sport got here when the Patriots have been stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Cardinals’ 4-yard line within the third quarter. On each performs, the Patriots utilized conventional handoffs on working performs, which led Mayo to be requested whether or not calling on quarterback Drake Maye to sneak was thought of.
“You stated it. I did not,” Mayo answered.
Whereas Mayo later answered that he’s liable for all selections, his preliminary comment may have been considered as a slight on Van Pelt, the first-year playcaller.
Mayo additional addressed his feedback in his day-after-game video convention Monday.
“I did not imply something by that,” Mayo stated. “It was extra of a defensive response. I attempted to make clear that with the follow-up query [Sunday], as a result of in the end all these selections are mine. … I did not need to go down that complete rabbit gap making an attempt to clarify all these issues.”
Mayo additionally stated in his weekly radio interview on sports activities radio WEEI that he “should not have carried out that. Identical to I inform the gamers, I am nonetheless studying how these issues work.”
Mayo has had related missteps in what has been a rocky preliminary season with the Patriots, who’re 3-11 and sputtering in the direction of the top of the common season.
Instantly after the Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars in London on Oct. 20, Mayo stated they have been a “delicate soccer crew throughout the board,” earlier than clarifying the following day that they have been “taking part in delicate.”
Earlier than that, shortly after he was employed in January, Mayo stated in a radio interview that the crew was able to “burn some money” to herald proficient gamers. He later referred to as it a “rookie mistake,” clarifying that the Patriots would spend correctly.
These errors, along with the crew’s shaky play on the sphere, have contributed to a irritating season within the first yr after proprietor Robert Kraft fired Invoice Belichick following 24 seasons on the helm.
Throughout Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, CBS cameras confirmed Kraft and crew president Jonathan Kraft a number of instances, as Jonathan Kraft seemed to be annoyed with the tempo of the offense at one level within the second quarter, making a movement together with his hand and finger to hurry issues up.
Getting into the season, Robert Kraft had preached endurance with Mayo, 38, who’s the second-youngest head coach within the NFL behind the Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald. Kraft stated one of many prime traits he noticed in Mayo, who performed linebacker for the crew from 2008 to 2015 and served as a linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023, is his capacity to attach with and handle youthful gamers.
Kraft predicted earlier than the season that they might “most likely be in for some tough instances” — a reference, partially, to extra time wanted to inventory the roster with expertise. On the identical time, Kraft projected the season “will probably be nice progress and lay the inspiration for the long run.”
Kraft hasn’t publicly commented on Mayo for the reason that season started.
