The New England Patriots have a case for being the worst team in the NFL.
In a battle of 1-5 teams, the Patriots lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, dropping them to 1-6, the worst record in the league. It’s been a tough season for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, and that became apparent during his postgame presser after the game.
“We’re a soft football team across the board,” Mayo said, according to Pro Football Talk.
“I felt like we just went out there and played soft,” Mayo said.
“We’re playing soft at the moment. When I say playing soft, it means stopping the run, being able to run the ball, and being able to cover kicks, which we weren’t able to do.
“Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? 100 percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day.”
Mayo was also asked if he thought maybe his philosophy of not being especially hard on his players was responsible for the brutal season in New England.
“That’s in my DNA,” Mayo responded. “Once again, a lot of these things are about relationships and treating people as human beings. That doesn’t mean we’re out there coaching these guys soft. I think the coaches do a good job of coaching them hard.
“Obviously, it would be easy if we were sitting here at 6-1 to continue to have that message. But at 1-6, l guess it’s a natural question from you, ‘Should we change up our coaching style?’ I just think we need to continue to work hard and continue to push the players to get the results on the field.”
Mayo is saying all of the right things, but if things don’t turn around, this may be his first and last season at the helm.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.