It turns out that Jerod Mayo wasn’t entirely wrong when he made his much-analyzed comment about the New England Patriots being “soft.” It’s just that he aimed his Insta-slam post at the wrong people: if only he had aimed it at Patriots legends instead of patriots playersMayo would be greeted at every port of call in Football America.
The Patriots legends we speak of are Robert Kraft, the undoubted savior of the franchise whose vision and business acumen are the reason why the NFL has a team called the “New England Patriots” and not one called the “St. . Louis Stallions” or whatever they would be called if only the late James Busch Orthwein had had his way.
The other legend is Bill Belichick, the arguably greatest coach in NFL history, whose two decades of point/counterpoint with Tom Brady produced six Super Bowl victories. (And if you’re into the Belichick-is-overrated-
GO DEEPER
Why “Belichick is nothing without Brady” is the dumbest sports argument ever
But two things can be true at the same time. Yes, Belichick is a reliable Hall of Fame coach, and yes, Kraft should have gotten his Canton kiss years ago, but in recent weeks these two guys have presented themselves as a bunch of needy, insecure old men. .
Caught in the middle of all this Kraft-Belichick whining and whining is Mayo, whose focus is the 2024 Patriots. Unlike 83-year-old Kraft and 72-year-old Belichick, who can’t move on from the Patriots from 2019 through 2023.
It starts with Kraft wanting to take his share of the credit for the good things that happened to the 21st century patriots, while at the same time giving the impression that he was in the other room when the bad things happened.
But Kraft was definitely having lunch when he went on “The Breakfast Club” and said, “Our record for the last three to four years wasn’t what I wanted. And I had given him (Belichick) so much power. He had complete control over everything. And shame on me, I should have had some more checks and balances.”
GO DEEPER
What about the drama surrounding Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo and the Patriots?
No one needed a secret decoder to translate what Kraft was saying, which was that Belichick ruined everything when the owner’s back was turned.
These words from Kraft created a hold-my-beer moment for Belichick, who proved he could be even more needy and insecure than his former boss.
“I’m a little hurt for those guys,” Belichick said during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
‘To call them soft, they are not soft. Last year they were the best team in the league against the run, and those guys went out and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively.
“The Patriots led the rush defense last year and they still have a lot of those players.
I’m hurt for those guys because they’re not soft…
I feel sorry for the defensive players because they are all strong players” ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wVN9ufcNMg
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 21, 2024
Again, you don’t need a secret decoder ring. Belichick spoke about Mayo in name, but he spoke for real Unpleasant Kraft, who essentially said, “That’s what you get for firing me.”
Belichick also spoke to former players of his when he said, “I feel sorry for the defensive players because that’s a tough group. Jon Jones, (Davon) Godchaux, Jennings, Josh Uche. They are all strong players.”
Secret decoder ring: You guys miss me, right?
GO DEEPER
Bill Belichick’s media blitz: Looking for your next coaching job or taking care of all the family business?
Belichick is paid handsomely to be opinionated and provocative. He throws in neediness and paying for free. As for Kraft, I can’t help but feel that everything he says is intended to solidify his candidacy for the Hall of Fame, except that the attempts seem unnecessary and clumsy. Kraft should be judged on his record, not his memories.
Besides, if Kraft really believes it was a missing system of checks and balances that doomed the Patriots in the final years of the Belichick era, he would have made sure to help his new coach, Mayo, with a number of those checks and balances. . When the Red Sox hired 28-year-old Theo Epstein as general manager years ago, they brought in the late Bill Lajoie, a veteran baseball man who helped build a World Series winner in Detroit, as a “special assistant.” Alex Cora brought in Ron Roenicke as his bench coach in his first year as manager of the Red Sox. Roenicke had managed the Milwaukee Brewers for more than four seasons, and had also managed the Dodgers’ Double-A San Antonio club in 1997, when 21-year-old Alex Cora was his shortstop.
Outside of Ben McAdoo and his two seasons as head coach of the New York Giants, there is little veteran perspective on the Patriots of 2024. Part of that falls on Mayo. Mostly it involves ownership, which oversaw the rebuilding of the front office and coaching staff.
As for Belichick, his cute little dog whistle isn’t fooling anyone. By calling out Mayo, he exposes his own softness.
The referendum on Jerod Mayo’s tenure as Patriots head coach will likely continue for what’s left of this season and into the offseason. But actually it’s pointless. It behooves the Patriots to see what Mayo can accomplish with a year of head coaching on his resume. It behooves the Patriots to work with Mayo and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf to add some been-there-done-that to the coaching staff and front office.
And it would behoove Mayo to a) improve its coverage, and b) while I have everyone’s attention, maybe be a little more aggressive with the play-calling. You know, surprise us every now and then.
Finally, Kraft and Belichick should take their little feud to the schoolyard and stop involving Mayo. He has adult things to do in the moment.
Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.
To register
(Photo of Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo and DeMarcus Covington: Perry Knotts/Getty Images)