Jerod Mayo has had a rough rookie season as a head coach in New England for several reasons, one of the most prominent being succeeding Bill Belichick and the unreachable expectations that come with it. Unfortunately, that would be the case no matter who took over the team after the legendary coach, but some other aspects of Mayo's tenure have been made more complicated, whether via his own hand or others in the organization.
Perhaps the most headline-making parts of this season have been the questionable statements made by the head coach before and after games, which was (at first) a welcomed change given Belichick kept everything very close to the vest.
While it's great that Mayo is more open with reporters, he's put his foot in his mouth one too many times, and it's become almost a joke among Patriots fans, whether warranted or not.
With just one game left to be played, that pattern has seemed to continue as the Patriots prepare for their season finale matchup with the Bills on Sunday. It's a significant game in many ways, including potentially dictating the future of Mayo and his coaching staff in New England, and that's why one of his more recent comments is more head-scratching than helpful for his cause.
Jerod Mayo's defense of the Patriots season is not going to work this time
While speaking with reporters earlier this week regarding the Bills coming to town, Mayo was asked about his job security and if he had a conversation with ownership about what his future might hold when the season ends.
After seemingly skirting around the question, he was asked a follow-up about what he felt was the most impactful thing he accomplished this season, and that's where his comments miss the mark.
“It seems like we’ve been in the storm for a long time, I think the players, as a whole, have come into work every day during a difficult season. I think that’s been a huge piece of the puzzle and hopefully we can keep that going forward. We had 8 one-score games this year and honestly, we need to win those games. That’s what the NFL is and that’s going to be the goal going forward.”
Most of his response is understandable, given the immense pressure he has been under as the first guy after Belichick. However, the comment about having "had eight one-score games this year" is not a great look, even if he wasn't necessarily trying to use it as an excuse.
Eight games during the 2023 season were close, too, but that inevitably led to Robert Kraft moving on from Belichick after a quarter century. It doesn't mean much when you end the season with one of the worst records in the league and land a top-5 pick in the draft.
It certainly doesn't count when you were expected to improve the team, and you might finish with a worse record and potentially be worse off than the season before.
There's just not a lot of reason to mention something like this when reflecting upon the Patriots' year. There won't be much positive to take away from it besides the development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye and seeing cornerback Christian Gonzalez continue to rise as one of the best at the position.