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Mike Reiss, ESPN writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged he made a mistake when answering a question about offensive plays after the New England Patriots’ 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which could have been interpreted as who disagreed. with coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
A key part of the game came when the Patriots were stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Cardinals’ 4-yard line in the third quarter. On both plays, the Patriots used traditional handoffs on running plays, which led to Mayo being asked if asking quarterback Drake Maye to scramble was considered.
“You said it. I didn’t,” Mayo responded.
While Mayo later responded that he is responsible for all decisions, his initial comment could have been seen as a snub to Van Pelt, the first-year play-caller.
Mayo further addressed his comments in his post-game day video conference on Monday.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Mayo said. “It was more of a defensive response. I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question. [Sunday]because in the end all those decisions are mine. … I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole trying to explain all that stuff.”
Mayo also said in his weekly interview on WEEI sports radio that “I shouldn’t have done that. Just like I tell the players, I’m still learning how those things work.”
Mayo has made similar mistakes in what has been a difficult early season with the Patriots, who are 3-11 and faltering toward the end of the regular season.
Immediately after the Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars in London on October 20, Mayo said they were a “soft football team across the board,” before clarifying the next day that they were “playing soft.”
Before that, shortly after being hired in January, Mayo said in a radio interview that the team was ready to “burn some money” to bring in talented players. He later called it a “rookie mistake,” clarifying that the Patriots would spend wisely.
Those mistakes, plus the team’s shaky play on the field, have contributed to a frustrating season in the first year after owner Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick after 24 seasons at the helm.
During Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, CBS cameras showed Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft several times, as Jonathan Kraft appeared to be frustrated with the pace of the offense at one point in the second quarter, making a move with your hand and finger to accelerate. things above.
Entering the season, Robert Kraft had preached patience with the 38-year-old Mayo, who is the NFL’s second-youngest head coach behind the Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald. Kraft said one of the main traits he saw in Mayo, who played linebacker for the team from 2008 to 2015 and served as linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023, is his ability to connect with and manage younger players.
Kraft predicted before the season that they would “probably have a tough time,” a reference, in part, to more time being needed to fill the roster with talent. At the same time, Kraft projected that the season “will be one of great growth and will lay the foundation for the future.”
Kraft has not commented publicly on Mayo since the season began.
