Curran: Mayo’s post-match comments ‘invite more dysfunction’ for team originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots had another lackluster performance Sunday in Arizona, but head coach Jerod Mayo questionable comments after the game It overshadowed everything that happened on the field.
After the 30-17 defeatPhil Perry of NBC Sports Boston asked Mayo about an important sequence in the third quarter. The Patriots trailed the Cardinals 16-3 and faced a third-and-1 from the Arizona 4-yard line. Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson were caught on consecutive run plays for no gain on third and fourth downs, respectively, resulting in a turnover on downs and a missed opportunity for New England.
Did Mayo consider running the ball with his 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback, Drake Maye, in those short-yardage situations?
“You said it. I didn’t,” Mayo responded.
That strange response seems like a clear shot at offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Perry and his NBC Sports Boston Patriots teammate Tom E. Curran pored over Mayo’s statement about Patriots after game live.
“We should have been talking about the football game and the things the Patriots didn’t do well to start their four-game skid, and instead we’re going to talk about a situation that Jerod Mayo made worse,” Curran said. “You should talk about those things, and if you’re going to continually say, ‘These are my decisions, I’m going to make these decisions, they all start and end with me,’ answer a question, and then infer that, ‘Yes.’ You’re right, we should have directed at Drake Maye’, that undermines everything and undermines Alex Van Pelt and then he backs off and then says, ‘Yes, it’s all on me,’ it’s again another rake stepped on.
“But this is probably the most prominent rake because Alex Van Pelt… if you don’t want him to call those plays, if you don’t want him to run them inside the red zone, tell him, ‘Don’t run.'” inside the red zone; “We’re not doing that anymore. So, to me, unfortunately, this is probably the biggest scratch Jerod has ever stepped on. It’s really going to cause more dysfunction than I think they’ve experienced all year.”
Early in the season, after Maye suffered a concussionVan Pelt expressed caution when designing ground plays designed for the rookie QB. Perry believes the reluctance to unleash Maye’s athleticism has caused some friction on the Patriots’ coaching staff.
“I think he’s frustrated. I think he doesn’t make a comment like that unless maybe this has been brewing,” Perry said of Mayo. “This is a question I’ve been asking not only Jerod Mayo but also Alex Van Pelt and Drake Maye for weeks, over a month. When are you going to coach this guy? Clearly, he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen.” You have. Clearly, this is a skill that he possesses that can be really difficult for opposing defenses to defend, because I’ve had opposing defenses that the Patriots have had on the schedule this year tell me, ‘Thank God they’re not here.’ running the design’ runs for Drake Maye because those things are very hard for us.”
“So I’m asking, and I’m asking, and I’m asking. They’ve already determined that they’re not going to do this protecting Drake Maye thing anymore, and he fights enough as it is, so we’re not going to call designed races. They’ve all recognized that they want to include these designed races in the game.
“And to me, this is not necessarily a unique thing from Jerod Mayo. I predict that he will make the comments again tomorrow, as we have heard him do many times this year. But I think this is probably a conversation that I have been having for a long time. Short yards, critical goal-line situations. These are the types of quarterback runs we have at our disposal, and the fact that they weren’t used here in a critical situation, to me, leads to that moment. frustration I think that’s what that was boiling. I think this has been building up for some time.”
For what it’s worth, Maye says he’s open to being used as a running back in short-yardage situations.
“Yeah, that’s a good point. I was a good quarterback in college,” he said after the game. “I’m a big guy. I weigh more than people think. So I think maybe there’s a conversation about that. I think it’s hard to stop a 6-foot-5 guy in one yard.”
Now 3-11 on the season, the Patriots conclude Sunday with the third pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They will look to clean things up on and off the field before heading to Buffalo for a tough Week 16 showdown with the 11-3 Bills.