MassLive Patriots beat reporter Chris Mason answers reader questions in his weekly mailbag each Friday. Here is this week's highlighted question:
Should the Patriots move on from Jerod Mayo? — Mike M.
MASON: It’s crazy to say this, but I need to see how the next three weeks go. Mayo should be coaching for his job the rest of the way. I’m generally against one-and-done coaches, I think that reeks of a dysfunctional organization — but that’s what the Patriots are on the verge of becoming.
Last weekend was an absolute disaster in the desert.
Coming off a bye week, the Patriots still weren’t ready to go. They fell behind by two scores early, repeated a ton of the same mistakes, and it was never a competitive game. It was ugly as could be. And I thought Mayo’s postgame comments were just as bad, if not worse than the performance on the field.
I think a lot of media stuff is overblown — there’s a reason Nick Saban called it rat poison — but throwing Alex Van Pelt under the bus with the "you said it, I didn't" was bush league.
It’s one thing when Mayo has to walk back a comment about burning cash (February), calling his team soft (Week 7), or the Malcolm Butler play (Week 11), but passive-aggressively blaming the offensive coordinator’s play-calling is a different level.
Mayo is supposed to be a leader. What message does it send the locker room when he’s pointing fingers? Not to mention, it’s his team. Mayo can overrule Van Pelt any time he wants. He didn’t. He needs to own that.
And look, I buy that the personnel is an issue. I really do. It’s glaring on the offensive side of the ball, particularly on the line. Guys are just overmatched. That’s how Van Pelt’s back-to-back runs inside the 5-yard line were blown up. There are maybe five starting-caliber players on that entire offense.
But what about the defense?
Mayo’s background is on defense — as a player and a coach — and that group has regressed to an insane degree. A Top 10 unit each of the last three years, New England currently sits 21st in total defense and their DVOA ranking is even worse. Injuries can’t be used as an excuse anymore, as Ja’Whaun Bentley is the only integral piece missing.
The mediocre Cardinals scored on six of their eight drives before running the clock out at the end. They’re not tackling and getting worse as the season goes on, not better. A lot of the pieces are the same. What has Mayo done to fix things?
Nothing thus far.
So, I’m not ready to pull the plug yet, but Mayo really needs to show up over the final three games. This shouldn’t just be an audition for players. He’s thrown himself into the deep end, too. Mayo needs to be sharper on the sideline and at the podium. Otherwise, I really think there’s a case to be made for infusing this organization with new blood in the offseason.
NOTE: To read this week's entire Patriots mailbag - as well as our back catalogue - click here. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or want to gripe about past answers, email cmason@masslive.com or tweet @bychrismason.
