Jerod Mayo has had a frustrating first season as the head coach of the New England Patriots, and he is now taking some heat for a comment he made in his postgame press conference on Sunday.
Mayo appeared to throw Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus following the team’s 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The coach was asked about a sequence late in the third quarter when the Patriots were stopped on 3rd-and-1 and then 4th-and-1 from the Arizona 4-yard line. A reporter pointed out that the Patriots could have attempted a quarterback sneak in such a short-yardage situation.
Mayo’s response was one he will probably regret.
“That’s … you said it, I didn’t,” Mayo replied.
did anyone get the license plate of that bus that Jerod Mayo just threw Alex Van Pelt under? pic.twitter.com/Cc5XM5jL5Y
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) December 16, 2024
Longtime NFL reporter Albert Breer said during the NBC Sports Boston postgame that he cannot “remember seeing a comment from a head coach like that in 20 years covering the league.” Breer even went as far as to say he thinks Mayo might have put himself on the hot seat with the remark, as it could give future assistant coaches pause about working for the 38-year-old.
The Patriots thought they were going to see some improvement this season after parting ways with Bill Belichick. While their roster is still one of the worst in football, the belief was that Belichick’s rift with Mac Jones and deteriorating relationship with other players had essentially poisoned the well.
Last year’s Patriots finished 4-13. This year’s team is now 3-11 with two games remaining against the Buffalo Bills and one against the Los Angeles Chargers. Even with Drake Maye showing promise, there is a good chance Mayo will finish with a worse record in his first year in New England than Belichick did in his last.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the Patriots would fire Mayo after one season, but the coach probably did himself no favors with his latest press conference gaffe.
