Jerod Mayo Blasts Patriots as a 'Soft Football Team' After Blowout Loss to Jaguars
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo called his team "soft" in his postgame press conference following a 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
Mayo spoke to the media on Monday and discussed those 'soft' comments:
"I felt like we just went out there and played soft. We're playing soft at the moment," Mayo said about his remarks, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? 100 percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day."
Mayo also discussed his "demanding without demeaning" coaching style, per Reiss:
That's in my DNA. Once again, a lot of these things are about relationships and treating people as human beings. That doesn't mean we're out there coaching these guys soft. I think the coaches do a good job coaching them hard," he said Monday.
Obviously, it would be easy if we were sitting there at 6-1 to continue to have that message. But at 1-6, I guess it's a natural question, 'Should we change up our coaching style?' I just think we need to continue to work hard and continue to push the players to get the results on the field.
This was an ugly game for the Pats. After trailing 10-0, Jacksonville scored 22 second-quarter points, including Parker Washington's 96-yard punt return touchdown.
Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby also rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries as the Jaguars' offensive line overpowered the Patriots' defense.
To the Patriots' credit, they did hang in this game, cutting the score to 25-16 in the fourth quarter after quarterback Drake Maye found K.J. Osborn for six. But the two-point conversion failed. Bigsby scored a late touchdown to help close the scoring.
Frustrations certainly abound in Mayo's first year as head coach. New England opened the season with an impressive 16-10 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Pats have lost six straight ever since. Four of those six losses have been by 16 or more points, including each of the last two.
The bright side has been the play of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who has started each of the last two games and thrown for five touchdowns. But the Pats' defense and special teams have not fared well, allowing 73 points in their last two games.
That likely doesn't make Mayo happy. The first-year head coach entered this year with big shoes to fill after Bill Belichick and the Pats parted ways. It was understood that Mayo would have a tough assignment, especially after New England went 4-13 the year before. But it's been tough sledding over the past six weeks as the Patriots try to find a way to stop the bleeding.
Up next is a rematch with the New York Jets, who beat the Pats 24-3 earlier this season. New England will host New York this time around on Sunday, Oct. 27.