Bill Belichick reacts to Jerod Mayo’s controversial Patriots remark
Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick does not seem too impressed with how his successor handled Sunday’s defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo called his team “soft” following Sunday’s 32-16 loss in London, a blunt remark that drew significant attention. Among those to comment was Belichick, who did not seem to approve of the criticism during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Defensively, the Patriots led the league last year in rushing defense, yards per carry, number one in the league. This year, they’re way down in the 20s somewhere,” Belichick said. “It’s the same guys. They re-signed (Anfernee) Jennings, they re-signed (Jahlani) Tavai, they re-signed (Kyle) Dugger. Marcus Jones and (Christian) Gonzalez have been healthy all year. … It’s a lot of the same players, and in some cases, I would say more.
“I’m kind of hurt for those guys, because to call them soft, they’re not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run, and those guys went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one, because those guys, that’s a tough group.”
Bill Belichick on Jerod Mayo calling #Patriots players "soft":
"It's a lot of the same players from last year. I'm kinda hurt for those guys because to call them soft, they are not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. I feel bad for the… pic.twitter.com/T7sbq2iLZ3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 21, 2024
Belichick was not the only person formerly associated with the Patriots to take the remark badly. Longtime Patriots safety Devin McCourty, who knows Mayo well, questioned the word choice during his appearance on NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show Sunday.
“Why, Jerod? Why is this team not tough? When you hear a team isn’t tough and they are soft, you think, ‘What is the head coach doing?’ How is he getting them ready to go? Mayo and that staff have a lot of questions to answer going in the next week,” McCourty said.
Devin McCourty didn't go soft on his friend Jerod Mayo last night on the NBC pregame show. "What is the head coach doing?" pic.twitter.com/SbgEjYJ2aS
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 21, 2024
Sunday’s defeat dropped the Patriots to 1-6, so there is no doubt Mayo is feeling serious frustration. However, publicly labeling his team “soft” was never going to help matters. Drawing criticism from figures like Belichick and McCourty definitely does not help his cause.
The Patriots host the New York Jets next week, another team playing poorly right now. If the Patriots lose that one, the narrative will only get uglier.
