Bill Belichick’s Disingenuous Comments on Jerod Mayo

Bill Belichick is the greatest football coach of all time. I don’t think there’s a debate there, but I feel the need to include that part any time I criticize him. However, there’s a reason he’s not on the Patriots sideline (or any sideline) for this year. The demise of the Patriots dynasty started even before he let Tom Brady walk out that door, yet Belichick feels entitled to criticize his successor after the Patriots suffered an embarrassing loss against the Jaguars in London on Sunday.

Jerod Mayo’s young tenor as the Patriots head coach has provided little to hope for with him in charge, but this team is coming off of a four-win season. Mayo inherited a top-ten defense, but with that came the ghosts of many mistakes still haunting the team today.

While the Patriots have a few receivers with ability, they still find themselves in desperate need of a WR1. The 2019 draft still cuts deep, as multiple receivers taken after N’Keal Harry are on their way to the Hall of Fame. It will go down as one of the most talented drafts in NFL history. You could’ve put the names of every receiver available in a hat and blindly picked a guy better than N’Keal Harry. Tyquan Thornton, a 2022 2nd round pick, has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back weeks. I would not put money on him being on this roster by the end of the season.

The offensive line has improved over the last two games but still has a ways to go. Their tackles especially weaken the group. 2018 1st round pick Isiah Wynn would be in the prime of his career if he was the right pick. He was not. The team then put their trust in Trent Brown, a guy known for his high character in losing situations, and were left with nothing after 2023. Michael Onwenu re-signed this offseason, but has struggled with speed and strength while playing tackle this year.

The team prays for Cole Strange to solidly a guard or center spot as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon he suffered late last year.  Strange was drafted in the 1st round in 2022, months after the Patriots traded away Shaq Mason, and a year after they let Joe Thuney walk. Both are still in the prime of their careers. One has won two more Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes.

Drake Maye’s performance provides the only hope for Patriots fans. Five years after Belichick let the greatest quarterback of all time exit Foxborough with no plan to replace him, the Patriots finally got their guy. Who says Belichick wouldn’t have taken the Giants’ trade offer?

The defense is broken without key players like Ja’Whaun Bentley, Christian Barmore and Jabrill Peppers. They traded Matthew Judon for a promising third-round pick, but DEs Deatrich Wise and Keion White have shown a lack of discipline in multiple weeks. Repeated mistakes are a result of poor coaching, but this is not the same defense that it was last year.   

Nobody said the Patriots would be competitive this year and a 1-6 wasn’t in the cards either, but this rebuild is going to take multiple years. It doesn’t mean they can lose games. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. But there’s so many holes left in the roster because of Belichick’s mismanagement. They re-signed the guys who could contribute to a winning team. What else did they have to move forward with? Belichick shouldn’t be taking digs at his usurper with his recent track record.

Now someone please tell Michael Lombardi to get off of Twitter.