FOXBOROUGH – After the Week 1 upset of Cincinnati, Jerod Mayo was applauded for how good the Patriots looked, how great the game plan was in taking down the Bengals, and how well the players bought in to what he was selling.
Everyone was uplifted. The rebuilding Patriots got off on the right foot, making some believe they might actually have a season. The players even gave Mayo a Gatorade shower to celebrate his first coaching victory.
Fifteen weeks later, it’s like that never happened. The vibe is completely different. There’s a firestorm swirling around Mayo, the coaching staff and the front office.
Fans are calling for Mayo’s head. The players are being asked about Mayo’s job security. Meanwhile, Robert and Jonathan Kraft were last seen stewing in the owner’s box out in Arizona, presumably over the offensive play-calling, during Sunday’s 30-17 loss to the Cardinals.
Adding insult to injury, there’s already been a media-generated discussion about hurrying up and securing Mike Vrabel, who was let go in Tennessee after last season, before he takes a job elsewhere.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
With three games left to play, that’s how bad it’s gotten at Patriot Place. Mayo has fallen and can’t get up.
Whether he is truly on the hot seat is up for debate. But the Krafts, who didn’t seem headed toward pulling the plug on Mayo after a year, or Eliot Wolf for that matter, have to be aware of fan disillusionment not only with Mayo but with the entire operation.
They have to be aware of Mayo’s gaffes during post-game press conferences, and walking back comments almost weekly. They have to know that hasn’t elicited confidence that the product on the field will improve under his leadership.
He’s a defensive coach, only the defense has regressed from being a top 10 unit under Bill Belichick’s watch the past few seasons.
Like his players, Mayo keeps making the same mistakes. He’s an error-repeater.
The one area he’s been consistent has been in dodging questions about his future. While a report in The Athletic indicated Mayo was told by the Krafts he’d be back, the Patriots coach hasn’t verified that to be the case.
Mayo said he didn’t know where the report came from and wasn’t inclined to comment. Pressed further if he knew for certain he was coming back next season, Mayo dodged.
“For me, this week, my focus is on this game. The Bills, here today,” Mayo said during his Wednesday presser. “Things that happen at the end of the season, I can’t control those things. So it’s all about the Bills… I’m not trying to squash anything. I’m trying to let you know where my focus is — and it’s on the Bills.”
Obviously, it would help Mayo if the Patriots finished strong, but there seems little chance of that happening based on the opponents remaining (Buffalo twice and the LA Chargers) and what’s transpired thus far. Coming off a bye, the team looked unprepared on both sides of the ball against the Cardinals. That was alarming.
Mayo’s players continued to talk a good game when it came to supporting their head coach, but their words will ring hollow if they’re blown out by the Bills on Sunday and remain uncompetitive the rest of the way.
On Wednesday, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye stood up for Mayo as did defensive captain Deatrich Wise during their podium sessions.
Wise said he appreciated Mayo’s ability to relate to players in the locker room and his leadership in general.
“This coach is fantastic. He has the ability, like I said before, to relate to the guys in the locker room, lead the guys in the locker room, be the same person,” Wise said of his coach. “He’s relatable because he’s played the game, so he’s coaching from a point of view of ‘I played this game, I know what I’ve seen before’ it’s the same thing.
“With all that being said, I think his leadership is, in my opinion, is one of the best I’ve seen. One of the best I’ve seen because of the situations that we’re in now, he still has the ability to raise his leadership even higher. So, it’s pretty impressive.”
The sentiment is nice. But the NFL is a results-oriented business.
The 3-11 record is one thing weighing against Mayo. The lack of progress is another. The latter is what’s most disturbing and worrisome. The Patriots weren’t expected to win many games, but there’s no sign of it getting any better.
Bill Parcells started out 1-11 in his first season with the Patriots, but ripped off four straight wins in the final four weeks. With that finish, that served as a shot of adrenaline the following year.
It was the same Bill Belichick’s first year. That Patriots team wasn’t very good but by the end of the season, they were playing at a much higher level. There was progress. But more importantly, there was hope for the future based on how it ended.
If the Patriots are able to do the impossible and upset Buffalo Sunday, that would provide the desired spark and help Mayo get up off the mat.
Lose in the same fashion the team has been losing, and the Krafts will be forced to rethink the plan. That’s where it’s at with Mayo, the rest of the staff, and the front office.
In the coming weeks, ownership has to seriously think about identifying the biggest problems, and finding solutions. That might mean blowing it all up starting with the coach. It might mean standing pat with the front office and coaching stuff. Or, it might mean making some changes. The Krafts have to decide the most prudent course of action.
This can’t be a knee-jerk reaction, or rash decision.
If they feel that strongly about Vrabel, another defensive-minded coach, they should explore the possibility of making that happen. The Krafts also need to understand what Vrabel’s plan would be for an offensive coordinator, and the possible impact on Drake Maye, before making any change.
While it’s convenient to say the Patriots have the quarterback – and they do with Maye – that doesn’t solve the rest of it. There’s only so much Maye can do if both the roster and coaching staff are bad.
If the Krafts stick with Mayo, which has been the plan all along and remains the most likely scenario, they need to do whatever they can to help him. That includes having better, more experienced coaches on the sideline around him. That also includes adding to the front office.
They also need to financially support making improvements and upgrades all over the roster, not to mention having the right people assessing the talent to bring in via free agency and the draft.
No one wants to stomach another season like this, including the Krafts. From here until the end of the season, Mayo and everyone else are under the microscope.
