Jerod Mayo responded to questions about postgame comment, Kraft reactions to Patriots’ play-calling
Mayo was asked multiple times about the viral video appearing to show Jonathan Kraft's displeasure with the team's coaching decisions.
Jerod Mayo’s comments: In what has become an undeniable pattern in his first season as Patriots head coach, Jerod Mayo spent some of his most recent time with the media walking back a previous comment he made to the very same media.
Following yet another Patriots loss, Mayo made a five-word statement during Sunday’s postgame press conference that drew some raised eyebrows.
Asked about why the Patriots didn’t use rookie Drake Maye on a quarterback sneak — given Maye’s clear ability to make plays moving the the ball on the ground as well as through the air — Mayo provided a curious response.
“You said it. I didn’t,” he quipped.
The remark could’ve been interpreted as a shot at his own offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, regarding the play-call selection. Mayo tried to clean up the quote in a follow-up answer.
“It’s always my decision,” Mayo added. “I would say, look, the quarterback obviously has a good pair of legs and does a good job running the ball. We just chose not to do it there.”
Acknowledging that the single sentence had caused a stir, Mayo led his Monday morning press conference with an additional statement about the remark.
“I know there’s a lot of chatter about the question last night, ‘You said that.’ I didn’t mean anything by that,” Mayo told reporters. “It was more of a defensive response, and ultimately, and I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question, because ultimately all of those decisions are mine. So just wanted to get that out there.”
Asked what he meant by a “defensive response,” Mayo elaborated.
“Yeah, it was just more [that] I didn’t mean anything by it,” Mayo added. “I just was like, ‘You said it’ because I didn’t want to go down that whole rabbit hole of trying to explain all those things. And like I just said, I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question, saying that all of those critical situations follow me.”
Later, during his weekly interview with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” Mayo went further, noting that he’d reached out to Van Pelt earlier in the morning to clear the air.
“I didn’t even think it was going to be a big story today,” he told the show’s co-hosts. “I spoke to him this morning, and he was like, ‘Yeah, what are you talking about?'”
“Look, I shouldn’t have done that,” Mayo concluded of the episode. “And again, just like I tell the players, I’m still learning how those things work.”
One of the other difficult moments that emerged out of Sunday’s game from a Patriots standpoint was a non-football clip during the broadcast when CBS cameras cut to Robert and Jonathan Kraft watching the game in the stands.
Jonathan’s gesturing and expression clearly conveyed the disappointment that was probably being felt by the wider audience of Patriots fans watching the game.
“I haven’t seen anything like that, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Mayo said when asked about the video. “What I will say is they’ve been fully supportive of us as a team, and look, they’re huge fans of the team they own. So whatever they say, that’s what they said.”
During the WEEI interview, he provided a second comment about the Kraft clip.
“I didn’t see the clip. I heard about it this morning,” Mayo noted. “But look, they own the football team. They’re fans of the team, and they have supported us 100 percent on the football side of not really getting involved in that stuff, which has been good.”
Scores and schedules:
The Patriots lost to the Cardinals 30-17 on Sunday. New England is now 3-11 on the season.
Also from Sunday, the Celtics defeated the Wizards 112-98. Boston will play again on Thursday at home against the Bulls.
Tomorrow, the Boston Fleet host Ottawa at the Tsongas Center at 7 p.m.
The Bruins will also play on Tuesday, facing the Flames in Calgary at 9 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Five takeaways from Patriots’ 30-17 loss to Cardinals
- Jayson Tatum leads Celtics to business-like win against overmatched Wizards: 9 takeaways
- Jacoby Brissett gives a candid summary of ‘tough year’ with Patriots
- At long last, Bruins benefit from a takeover game by David Pastrnak
- Jerod Mayo has curious response over Patriots’ play calling on Drake Maye short-yard rushes
- What Kristaps Porzingis said about new injury that caused him to leave game against Wizards
- Christian Gonzalez’s dominance has been lone bright spot on Patriots’ defense this year
- Tom Brady admitted he was ‘blown away’ by Bill Belichick taking UNC coaching role
- WNBA star Aliyah Boston becomes first Worcester Academy athlete to have jersey retired
Life comes at (Oliver Wahlstrom) fast: The Bruins’ recent roster addition has a great history at TD Garden.
9-year-old Oliver Wahlstrom did this at TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins…
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 14, 2024
Today, 24-year-old Oliver Wahlstrom was claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LEU8f5Ecwb
The goofiest touchdown from Sunday: Sometimes the double-pass trick play doesn’t work out.
CASA BONITTO!!!!#ProBowlVote + @nikkkkbonitto pic.twitter.com/F3PgKZ0dry
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 16, 2024
On this day: In 1979, the Patriots staged a late rally to defeat the Vikings, 27-23, but closed out the season on a disappointing note after not making the playoffs. New England scored 20 fourth quarter points, salvaging the win to finish the season 9-7. Yet after suffering a late-season three-game losing streak — taking the team’s record from 8-4 to 8-7 — the Patriots came up short in the postseason chase.
Daily highlight: Drake Maye provided one of the few highlights for the Patriots in yet another loss on Sunday.
Drake Maye makin’ plays for the @Patriots TD!
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
📺: #NEvsAZ on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/jVEltTKTo8
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