Jerod Mayo called the New England Patriots a “soft” football team after their latest loss.
And while the rookie head coach has the support of his predecessor in Bill Belichick, it doesn’t seem like the NFL’s newly installed media mogul supports those comments exactly. In fact, on Monday’s The Pat McAfee Show, Belichick took up for a defense that once belonged to him.
“I think Drake Maye’s done some good things, you know, in the end we’ll see how it goes when situations get a little more competitive and all that,” said Belichick. “Defensively, the Patriots led the league last year in rushing defense, yards per carry — No. 1 in the league. And this year, they’re down in the 20s somewhere.
“It’s a lot of the same guys. They re-signed (Afernee) Jennings. They re-signed (Jahlani) Tavai. They re-signed, obviously, (Kyle) Dugger. Marcus Jones and (Christian) Gonzalez have been healthy all year, which they were both on IR at this point last year. So, you got (Deatrich) Wise; you got (Davon) Godchaux; you got Keion White; you got (Marte) Mapu; you got Gonzalez — and three rookies from last year.
“It’s a lot of the same players, and in some cases, I’d say more. 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. And those guys went out there and did it, even though we couldn’t score many points offensively.
“I don’t know, I feel bad for the defensive players on that one, because those guys, that’s a tough group. I mean, Jon Jones, Godchaux, Wise, Jennings, (Joshua) Uche — those guys are all tough players; they’ll strap it up and go… They’re tough guys.”
While Mayo clarified that he meant the team is “playing soft” and not inherently soft, it’s still a reflection on the head coach when that label gets tossed around.
Belichick’s words were a defense of his former players, but it’s clear he didn’t love Mayo’s take.
As Mayo navigates his first season at the helm, he’ll need to balance honesty with motivation. When a team gets tagged as soft, the coach bears the brunt of that label. And right now, Mayo has some tough questions to answer about his team’s toughness moving forward, even if he’s the one doing the labeling.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.