FOXBOROUGH – Whether Jerod Mayo is truly on the hot seat, or not, his primary job over the remaining four games has to be seeped in evaluations.
While Mayo talked Wednesday about wanting to go out on a high note and winning games, that’s pretty much a given. Four-five-six or even seven wins looks better than three. And it provides a better launch into next season.
Along with that, the evaluation element is also key, and not just with players. The Patriots coach also needs to honestly assess his coaching staff.
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Where are improvements or replacements needed? Should Mayo remain at the helm, which is expected barring a dire finish, which coaches need to be weeded out and replaced?
Of course, it’s possible new UNC coach Bill Belichick will do some of the weeding, taking some coaches – likely from the defensive side – with him to Chapel Hill.
Outside of that, Mayo basically has to decide whether de facto GM Eliot Wolf provided him a bunch of lemons in free agency and the draft, or perhaps, the failure of certain players might have been the result of poor coaching.
Case in point, K.J. Osborn.
At the time, the wide receiver seemed like a good signing by Wolf. In Minnesota’s high powered offense with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockensen, Osborn also had an impact. He was productive last season with 48 catches for 540 yards with three touchdowns.
In the two previous years, he had 50 and 60-catch seasons for 650-plus yards.
So what happened in New England? Was it scheme, might it have been coaching, or did Osborn, who was released by the Patriots Tuesday, and later claimed by the Washington Commanders, all of a sudden lose it at age 27?
Asked what went into the decision to release Osborn, Mayo said it was a mutual decision.
“Look, K.J., I mean, even when he was inactive, he was just a great professional, great person, a great leader,” Mayo said. “It just didn’t work out, and we decided to part ways.”
Mayo needs to know why it didn’t work out, and fix the problem especially if the answer lies within his coaching staff.
Tyler Hughes is the wide receivers coach. He’s in his first season with the team in that role. Has he been doing a good job?
Along with Osborn, are Wolf’s two draft picks – Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker – that bad? Did Wolf completely whiff on receivers, a troubling pattern historically with the Patriots?
Or, was the coaching not up to snuff, and two promising young receivers took a step back?
The Patriots need answers in the closing weeks.
Then there’s the offensive line.
During training camp, Wolf went on record saying he was “excited” about the prospects of the offensive line.
Seeing how it turned out, with the offensive line being one of the biggest problems on the team, Wolf seems out of touch, and that’s being kind.
Might coaching be a part of it? While no one can measure up to coaching legend Dante Scarnecchia, did Scott Peters at least put players in positions to succeed? Or, was the personnel Wolf supplied beyond getting coached up?
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and QB coach T.C. McCartney have done a good job developing Drake Maye, who looks like the real deal. That’s one element on the plus side. Van Pelt has also shown more of the playbook in recent weeks, but does his play-calling jive with Mayo?
More to the point, is that playbook good enough and evolved enough to get the most out of Maye’s skillset?
What about the defense? Is first-year coordinator DeMarcus Covington getting the most out of that unit?
And, did Mayo give Covington and the coaches a little too much rope? Should he be stepping in more?
Mayo was asked that very question during his presser Wednesday.
“I spend a lot of time with the defense,” he said. “I’m still talking to those guys over the headset. Just because I’m not over there doesn’t mean I’m not involved. So, I’m in those meetings, in the game plan meetings, and look, we just have to play better.”
Perhaps there will be tweaks to the coaching staff. Perhaps, Mayo -and or the Krafts – will deem it necessary to have more experienced coaches in the mix, and hire accordingly during the offseason.
With a three-win team, all areas need to be examined, and all avenues to improve need to be exhausted.
That goes from Wolf and Mayo on down.
“We’re all being evaluated, myself included,” Mayo said Wednesday, “and that’s part of it.”
It’s a significant part of where this team is headed. They have the quarterback. From here on out, it’s about fixing the rest.
