Jerod Mayo responded to accusation that he’s ‘coaching scared’
The first-year Patriots coach closed his interview with a Thanksgiving-themed message to his critics.
Jerod Mayo answered his critics: An inevitable subplot of a struggling team is the enflamed speculation by fans and media over the future status of the its head coach.
Such is the case for Jerod Mayo, the first-year coach of the 3-9 Patriots. Though the team’s lack of talent was self-evident heading into the 2024 season, and the front office has been operating under a future-focused approach — trading players like Matthew Judon and Josh Uche for draft picks — the criticism of Mayo has grown steadily.
It reached new heights in the aftermath of Sunday’s 34-15 defeat to the Dolphins. Noted Boston sports fan (and sports media personality) Bill Simmons angrily decried Mayo’s commitment to what he deemed was “scared football” in a Sunday social media post.
On Monday, Mayo did his weekly combination of press conference and radio interview. In the radio interview, conducted on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” he was asked directly about the notion that it “appears at times that [he’s] coaching scared.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” Mayo replied. “My thing is I’m always going to do what I think is best in that moment in time. Now, have there been times throughout the season where I go back and watch like, ‘Ah, I could’ve done that better?’ Absolutely.
“I’m sure when you first started on this show, you’re a lot better now than you were on your first show,” Mayo told co-host Greg Hill. “Everyone, they act like it’s not a learning experience and that growth doesn’t happen.”
Comparing his acclimation to his new job to that of media in theirs, Mayo concluded that he expects to improve with experience.
“I will be a better coach going through this adversity going forward.”
Former Patriot (and “Greg Hill Show” co-host) Jermaine Wiggins followed up by asking if Mayo wants his critics to “cut him a little slack” in the first season following the end of the Bill Belichick era.
“I never look for slack,” said Mayo in response, “and I don’t really get into comparisons either. It’s the guys in that locker room that I have to do a better job getting ready for games.”
Arguably the most important aspect of the 2024 season from Mayo’s perspective is the development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. And while the 22-year-old first-round pick has showcased an immense level of talent and potential, he struggled on Sunday (committing two turnovers).
Reacting to another point of criticism — that the team has regressed instead of taking steps forward — Mayo offered a longer-term view of the situation.
“If we would’ve won the game, the whole narrative would’ve been different. Again, I don’t think progress is a straight line to the top,” Mayo explained. “You’re going to have those ups and downs, but after you look at it from a longer viewpoint, as long as it’s still going this way [upward]…then you’ll be happy at the end.”
Asked again about the “scared football” narrative, a statement was put to Mayo: He would coach differently if he had “pieces to sub in for guys that were making mistakes” in Sunday’s loss. He was asked if that was a fair statement.
“That’s a fair assessment,” Mayo responded.
In the closing moments of the interview, Mayo was asked about Thanksgiving. He noted that he’s a “turkey guy,” though it depends on the type of turkey (adding that he enjoys either a fried or cajun turkey).
But as he was preparing to leave, Mayo added another message in a nod to both the show’s co-hosts and his numerous critics.
“I appreciate you guys,” Mayo said after being wished a happy holiday. “I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving as well.
“I’m thankful for all of you guys. Seriously, I am,” he continued. “Look, this is going to make me better. Go ahead, you can question everything. It’s going to make me better in the future, and I appreciate it.”
Trivia: Who is the most recent Patriots head coach to last just one season in the role?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: 1990
Scores and schedules:
The Patriots lost to the Dolphins 34-15 on Sunday, falling to 3-9 on the season.
Also from Sunday, the Celtics got a win 107-105 over the Timberwolves.
Tomorrow, the Bruins host the Canucks at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- 5 takeaways from Patriots’ embarrassing 34-15 loss to Dolphins
- Bill Simmons rips Jerod Mayo for coaching ‘scared football’ with Patriots
- Jaylen Brown leads Celtics over Timberwolves with hot start, big shot late: 9 takeaways
- Jerod Mayo on Patriots’ penalty woes against Dolphins: ‘It starts with me’
- How Jayson Tatum bounced back from his worst 3-point shooting night of the season
- ‘It’s frustrating’: Drake Maye is trying to balance short-term struggles with long-term development
- What Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown said about Anthony Edwards’s trash talking
- St. Louis Blues hire former Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery for same role
A Rhamondre highlight: Patriots’ running back Rhamondre Stevenson was largely contained by the Dolphins on Sunday, but still showcased a nice highlight as he ran over a would-be tackle.
On this day: In 2002, the Red Sox opted for a relatively unknown 28-year-old to be the team’s new general manager. It was, by any measurement, a bold move. The young Brookline native promptly set about building the team in his image (which was an analytics-based approach). Over the next two years, Boston would set records offensively in 2003 and — more importantly — go on to win a first World Series in 86 years in 2004.
Daily highlight: KaVontae Turpin innovated the kickoff return game on Sunday with a video game move.
Trivia answer: Rod Rust
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