Jerod Mayo Admits He Made Big Mistake With Patriots Comments After Loss
Another Sunday produced another frustrating result for the New England Patriots, who once again kept things close in a winnable game but couldn't ultimately pull out the victory. Fans are upset with the lack of late-game execution led by head coach Jerod Mayo, who could have double his total of three wins this season if he had learned from his early-year miscues.
On Monday, Mayo admitted he made yet another mistake looking back on Week 13.
Jerod Mayo on his “Super Bowl” comments following yesterday’s game:
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) December 2, 2024
“I was frustrated first of all, which I should have taken a deep breath. I should not have said that.”
Mayo told WEEI in his weekly radio appearance that he "should not have" referenced New England's Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks when discussing his decision not to call timeouts on Indianapolis' final drive Sunday. Mayo said he should've "taken a deep breath" in his postgame press conference and kept the comment to himself.
Mayo owning up to his mistake is nice to see, but this is yet another case of the head coach slipping up when talking to the media. One of the biggest controversies the Patriots have faced this year is the debate over Mayo's use of the word "soft" in regards to his players, which could've been avoided altogether and not caused a distraction if he was better with his word choices.
Jerod Mayo said there was “absolutely” thought given to taking a timeout earlier in Indy’s game-winning drive.
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) December 1, 2024
“We’ve also won a Super Bowl here doing it the other way.” pic.twitter.com/EXD77kNt8a
It was simply foolish for the HC to bring up an entirely unrelated accomplishment of a previous regime as a source of his decisions on Sunday. Mayo's struggled to make the best in-game moves to help his team, as it's currently constructed, win, so that's where his focus should be -- not on considering how the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady Pats would secure a victory.
Mayo's lack of growth, as both a speaker in the media and chief decision-maker on game days, certainly raises some concerns as his first year as head coach comes to a close. Ideally, all of the struggles from this season would lead to some improvements in clear weak areas down the stretch, yet the same mistakes are still happening.
Even if New England does bring in major talent this offseason, it'll be Mayo's development as a coach that will likely determine how far this franchise goes under his watch.
In other Patriots news:
feed