Bill Belichick has been a much bigger media star than expected.
The majority of the football world rolled their eyes when they saw how many media gigs Belichick was taking on. Most thought he would be Mr. Generic in the analyst chair and be hesitant to truly speak his mind.
However, refreshingly, Belichick has been much more outspoken and critical than what many had expected.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, Belichick strongly pushed back against comments made by new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, who called the team “soft” following their Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 72-year-old legend emphasized that many of the same players were part of the defense that excelled last season, saying, “It’s mostly the same players who led the league in yards per carry allowed last year.”
While Mayo was technically correct in saying that his players played “soft” against Jacksonville, we all know that “soft” is the ultimate buzz-word in the football world.
There’s literally nothing worse you can call a player…
Mayo did his best to downplay the firestorm he created and refused to take the bait on Belichick’s comments.
“My main focus is the guys inside of this building, not only the players, but also the coaches and the rest of this staff,” Mayo said. “As soon as we turn this thing around, we’ll be OK. It comes down to wins and losses. That’s what it comes down to. That’s what you’re ultimately judged by.”
Interestingly, Belichick revisited the Patriots’ current situation during his Coach’s Podcast with Michael Lombardi and Matt Patricia.
He noted that both the Patriots and New York Jets are eager to turn things around with a much-needed win in their upcoming Week 8 matchup this Sunday.
“I don’t know how many more of those are coming down the line for the Patriots,” Belichick said of a winnable game. “And the Jets, for that matter … But boy, the Patriots got a lot of questions to answer.
“Between the head coach, and the atmosphere, and who’s soft and who’s not soft.”
Michael Lombardi, a former Patriots executive, shared his perspective during the podcast, describing the current Patriots culture as “kinder” and “gentler” – a critique he did not intend as praise.
“When you ride bicycles in the locker room, I don’t know how you can pretend you’re not soft,” Lombardi said.
Belichick went on to further disagree with the idea of publicly calling out players, reflecting on his own coaching philosophy.
On the Let’s Go! podcast, he stated, “When you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn’t always go over well.”
(Raiders star Maxx Crosby agrees…)
What a mess in New England.
There’s already rumors that Mayo could be one-and-done as head coach. Although it’s hard to imagine owner Robert Kraft pulling the plug this early, especially since it would make him and his decision-making look atrocious.
Having said that, if Mayo is truly not the right man for the job, all Kraft would be doing is prolonging the inevitable and dragging his team and New England fans deeper in the mud.
What are your thoughts on Belichick’s comments? … Will Jerod Mayo be the Patriots head coach in 2025???
