The New England Patriots have experienced their fair share of struggles in Jerod Mayo’s first season as head coach of the team. And after Mayo offered some critical comments about his team, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made it a point to defend his former players.
Mayo didn’t mince words about his team’s mindset following their loss on Sunday morning to the Jacksonville Jaguars, calling his team “soft across the board”.
This comes after Mayo previously said that there are “a lot of holes” on this Patriots roster that he inherited from Bill Belichick, adding that he believes this rebuild will take longer than one year.
Bill Belichick, who is now a media member on numerous different platforms, made it a point to defend the Patriots during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Defensively, the Patriots led the league in rushing defense last year, yards per carry, No. 1 in the league, and this year they’re way down in the 20s somewhere. It’s the same guys,” Belichick said. “It’s a lot of the same players. And in some cases, I would say more, so I’m kind of hurt for those guys. Because to call them soft? They’re not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. Those guys went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because those guys, that’s a tough group. Those guys are all tough players.”
Mayo was of course an assistant under Belichick for years in New England and played for him as a player. But clearly, Mayo and Belichick are not on the same page about where the team is currently at.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.