Jerod Mayo has curious response over Patriots’ play calling on Drake Maye short-yard rushes
"You said it. I didnāt.ā
Drake Maye has been one of the more elusive quarterbacks in the NFL this season when it comes to gaining yards on the ground.
The 2024 first-round pick has already rushed into the end zone twice this season and is averaging over eight yards per carry.
Even though Maye’s legs have allowed him to generate several explosive chunk-yardage plays, that mobility and knack for fighting through contact gives New England’s punchless offense an effective short-yardage weapon when the team needs to move the chains.
Several of those critical opportunities presented themselves during Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals.
With Arizona up 16-3 midway through the third quarter, New England needed to cash in on a red-zone bid.
Following a nine-yard pickup on the ground from Antonio Gibson, the Patriots found themselves in a 3rd-and-1 opportunity from the Cardinals’ four-yard line.
Instead of opting for Maye on a QB sneak or another designed run for a first down, New England went with another run for Gibson that didn’t gain a yard.
Jerod Mayo and the Patriots opted to stay aggressive and run a play on fourth down — but decided on another run up the middle by lead back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Stevenson was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, leading to a turnover on downs and another significant setback en route to a 30-17 loss.
There was plenty that went wrong for New England at State Farm Stadium, be it another listless showing on defense or multiple miscues across the offensive line.
But New England’s decision to not utilize Maye on either of those two short-yardage situations will stand as a significant second guess for the Patriots — especially after Mayo drew plenty of headlines with his postgame press conference.
When asked about the team’s decision to not use Maye on those plays despite his established skillset as a mobile QB, Mayo declared: “You said it. I didn’t.”
It’s unclear what exactly Mayo means by that comment — perhaps signaling that it was offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s decision to not use Maye in a QB sneak or any other rush plays in the red zone.
But when asked a follow-up about the play-calling and his cryptic quote, Mayo said it was his call.
“It’s always my decision,” Mayo said. “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.”
Mayo’s comment stands as yet another confusing miscue from New England’s first-year head coach, while will likely fuel even more speculation as to who holds sway over play-calling and other decisions between Mayo and Van Pelt.
Speaking after the game, Maye acknowledged that it was a “good point” that he can be used in those short-yardage plays when called upon.
“I was a good quarterback sneaker in college,” Maye said. “[I’m a] big dude. I’m heavier than people think. So I think maybe [there’s] a conversation for that.
“And I think it’s tough to stop a 6-foot-5 dude for one yard. But also at the same time., Mondre is pretty dang good at getting one yard as well. So it’s unfortunate that it happened. But definitely, there was a time and place for it.”
In a season where little has gone right for the Patriots beyond Maye’s emergence and Christian Gonzalez’s strong play in the defensive backfield, Mayo’s postgame pressers are continuing to raise more concerns about the hierarchy and cohesion around New England’s coaching staff.
“We all have got to take accountability,” Mayo said after New England’s loss. “And what does that look like? Accountability is not really the “My bad.” The accountability isn’t coming in saying things like, ‘Oh, if we would have just done X, Y, and Z,’ we’ve been talking about that all year.
“Accountability is going out and correcting that. That’s about action. It’s not about just sitting here saying that’s my fault. You have enough of those, and that’s what you have out there on the field today.”
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