The New England Patriots are at the start of a new era, with first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and rookie quarterback Drake Maye. However, the old guard is taking some exception to how things are being handled now.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick was a guest on The Pat McAfee show, where he took exception to Mayo saying the team was “soft across the board” after the Pats fell to 1-6.
“It’s a lot of the same players from last year,” Belichick said in the appearance.
“I’m kinda hurt for those guys because to call them soft, they are not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one.”
Bill Belichick on Jerod Mayo calling #Patriots players "soft":
"It's a lot of the same players from last year. I'm kinda hurt for those guys because to call them soft, they are not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. I feel bad for the… pic.twitter.com/T7sbq2iLZ3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 21, 2024
Fans reacted to Belichick sounding off on social media.
“Im sure losing your $20m DT, best ILB, best edge rusher and best safety doesn’t make an impact lol,” one fan said on Twitter sarcastically.
“Mayo is even losing Belichick now, he might be toast,” another fan said.
“Kraft will never fire Mayo because doing that admits he really messed up with this hire, which he did. Mayo’s defense was supposed to be his specialty and they gave up 40+ and 30+ the last two games,” a fan added.
“They shouldve never let Bill go,” a fan added.
“So Bill Belichick feels comfortable crapping all over Mayo now that the team is 1-6. What a call out. Wow,” one fan added.
“Granted we had Barmore and Bentley last year we can not call these players soft,” someone else offered.
This is interesting timing from Belichick considering the Patriots’ current record. It’ll be interesting to see if he tries to position himself for a return to the sidelines in New England amid the franchise’s current struggles.
