Mike Reiss, ESPN staff writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Head coach Jerrold Mayo admitted he made a mistake in answering a question about the offensive playbook following the New England Patriots’ 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which allowed people to Explaining the disagreements he may have with coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
A key part of the game came in the third quarter when the Patriots were stopped on a third-and-1 at the Cardinals 4-yard line. In both games, the Patriots used traditional handoffs in the running game, which led to Mayo being asked if he would consider running quarterback Derek Meyer on a sneak attack.
“You said it. I didn’t,” Mayo replied.
While Mayo later responded that he took responsibility for all decisions, his initial comments could have been seen as a slight against first-year kicker Van Pelt.
Mayo further extended his comments during Monday’s post-match video conference.
“I don’t mean anything by saying that,” Mayo said. “It was more of a defensive reaction. I tried to clarify that with follow-up questions. [Sunday]because ultimately all of these decisions are mine. …I don’t want to go down a whole rabbit hole trying to explain all these things. “
Mayo also said in a weekly radio interview with sports station WEEI that he “shouldn’t have done it. Like I tell the players, I’m still learning how these things work.”
Mayo made similar mistakes in his first season with the Patriots, who went 3-11 and struggled late in the regular season.
Immediately after the Patriots lost to the Jaguars in London on Oct. 20, Mayo said they were an “all-around soft football team,” then clarified the next day that they “played soft.”
This comes after Mayo said in a radio interview shortly after being hired in January that the team was prepared to “burn some cash” to bring in talented players. He later called it a “rookie mistake” and clarified that the Patriots would spend their money wisely.
Those mistakes, combined with the team’s inconsistency on the field, led to a frustrating first year after owner Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick after 24 seasons at the helm.
CBS cameras captured Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft multiple times during Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, with Kraft appearing frustrated with the pace of the offense in the second quarter. And made speed-up movements with his hands and fingers. Something happened.
Entering this season, Robert Kraft had expressed patience with the 38-year-old Mayo, the second-youngest head coach in the NFL behind the Seahawks’ Mike McDonald. Kraft said one of the most important traits he saw in Mayo, who served as a linebacker for the team from 2008 to 2015 and from 2019 to 2019, was his ability to connect with and manage young players. Linebackers coach in 2023.
Kraft predicted before the season that they were “probably going to go through a rough patch” – in part a reference to the need for more time to stock the roster. At the same time, Kraft expects “significant growth and a foundation for the future” this season.
Kraft has not commented publicly on Mayo since the start of the season.
