Patriots’ Jerod Mayo calls crew ‘comfortable,’ appears out of solutions as shedding streak continues

LONDON — The Jacksonville Jaguars discovered the tip zone for the ultimate time Sunday, this landing making certain the most recent New England Patriots loss would finish in blowout style, like so many others. Some 35 yards away, coach Jerod Mayo eliminated his headset and seemed round Wembley Stadium, at nothing and at all the things, left in disbelief by his crew’s play.

Mayo took this job driving a wave of optimism with a franchise that badly wanted change after almost a quarter-century underneath Invoice Belichick. Now, seven video games into his tenure, the Patriots are setting data for futility not seen in many years. They misplaced their sixth straight recreation Sunday, an old style, 32-16 butt-kicking delivered by a Jaguars crew that appeared on the verge of quitting on its coach. The Pats hadn’t misplaced that many in a row since 1993.

GO DEEPER

Jaguars beat Patriots 32-16 in London as New England falters: Takeaways

On the sideline, Mayo seemed like a person bereft of solutions. He should have been fuming — a troublesome, run-stopping former center linebacker now teaching a crew both unwilling or unable to cease the run.

A couple of minutes later, after the merciful last whistle, Mayo arrived to face the media with a plan. He referred to as his Patriots one of many worst issues soccer gamers may be referred to as.

“We’re a comfortable soccer crew throughout the board,” he mentioned as a part of an unprompted opening assertion.

Jerod Mayo clearly pissed off: “We’re a comfortable soccer crew throughout the board.” pic.twitter.com/e07iO7eCMa

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 20, 2024

Mayo has introduced with him loads of departures from his predecessor and former mentor, however this information convention felt notable. Belichick would typically say that video games within the NFL had been misplaced by coaches and received by gamers. But Mayo felt the Patriots are in such dire, determined straits that the very best route was to name his crew comfortable seven video games right into a rebuilding season.

Perhaps it is going to work. Perhaps the Patriots will determine methods to cease the run, and possibly calling gamers out will encourage them to work tougher. Perhaps it is going to assist them claw their method to, say, a 5-12 report.

Or possibly temperatures will proceed to rise for a crew that knew it wasn’t playoff-ready however anticipated to be at the very least competent, a crew that’s now left to choose up the items amid a rapidly unraveling season.

Throughout that very same information convention, Mayo mentioned the crew wanted extra from second-round decide Ja’Lynn Polk, who’s off to a sluggish rookie season and coping with far too many drops. The 22-year-old receiver had zero catches on three targets and left the sport late with a head damage. Twenty minutes later, Polk posted “…” on Instagram with a peace signal.

Ja’Lynn Polk on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/qqL8iX57wh

— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) October 20, 2024

Within the locker room, defensive gamers had been reluctant to interrupt down their points in opposition to the run. The Jaguars outrushed the Patriots 171 yards to 38 and 4.4 yards per carry to 2.5.

“We’ve simply bought to be higher,” mentioned linebacker Jahlani Tavai, whose struggles had been a giant a part of the issue.

The Patriots knew they weren’t going to be nice in Mayo’s first yr, however they had been assured they might do two issues properly: run the ball and cease the run. The remainder they might determine, they assumed.

As an alternative, the Patriots are getting uncovered in exactly these two areas, and it’s leaving them damaged and with out an identification. It’s unhealthy when rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s 18 dashing yards match the entire of Rhamondre Stevenson, the participant you simply handed a profitable contract extension to be the crew’s bell-cow working again.

In the meantime, the New England run protection was completely mauled Sunday. The Jaguars seemed throughout the road of scrimmage and noticed a crew they might bully. At one level, they ran the ball 18 straight occasions and on 23 of 24 performs. And there was nothing the Patriots may do to cease it. That’s how Jacksonville put collectively a demoralizing 11-minute, 24-second drive — one which ended, mockingly, with the Pats stopping them on downs on the 6-yard line — that was the NFL’s longest possession in over two years.

That’s in all probability the extra troubling space. The offense had low expectations and Maye is displaying sufficient progress to supply a little bit of optimism for those who have a look at the large image. However the protection was imagined to be in good fingers, even after Belichick’s departure, because of Mayo.

No matter first-time coordinator DeMarcus Covington is making an attempt hasn’t labored. So is it time for the pinnacle coach to basically take over that aspect of the ball and grow to be the defensive play caller?

“From the place I used to be standing, even after we’re in the fitting name, (the gamers) aren’t doing their jobs,” Mayo mentioned, making it clear the place he places the blame.

LIVE: Patriots Postgame Press Conferences: https://t.co/Ki5fS8CaXu

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 20, 2024

That’s an attention-grabbing technique for a coach who rapidly earned a fame as a gamers’ coach even when he has pushed again on that title.

On the one hand, possibly it’s the fitting transfer for Mayo to place his foot down and present that it’s not going to be all popsicles and pats on the again for his gamers. On the opposite, to emphasize the purpose once more, we’re seven video games into Mayo’s tenure. That’s awfully early to be calling his crew comfortable.

That’s why the stress goes to ramp up on Mayo and his coaches. Everybody is aware of the roster they’re working with isn’t nice. There’s separate — but deserved — criticism for de facto common supervisor Eliot Wolf and the entrance workplace for mainly re-signing everybody from a four-win crew and considering they’d performed sufficient to unravel the offensive line. Nonetheless, the crew retains making dumb errors and appears out of solutions as quickly because the opponent makes an adjustment.

The Patriots had a very good plan out of the gate Sunday and jumped out to a 10-0 lead. They then allowed 25 consecutive factors with no clear plan for turning issues round. After the primary quarter, Alex Van Pelt’s offense felt stagnant. Covington’s protection can’t cease the run or rush the passer.

That leaves the Patriots with out an identification and caught on the backside of the league. They’re not simply shedding — they’re additionally getting blown out. They’re not simply struggling to cease the run — they’re watching the Jaguars (the Jaguars!) break data for offensive effectivity.

Solely seven video games into the tenure of their new coach, the Patriots really feel like they’re at a crossroads as a result of the man working the present simply referred to as the entire crew comfortable.