FOXBOROUGH - CoachSpeak is back again with yours truly. We heard from all but the boss Tuesday morning, but I focused on a pair, Bill O'Brien and Jerod Mayo. They use words, and I am here to interpret them in my own unique way.
I asked Bill O'Brien where things stand with Mac Jones after two consecutive games where he was sent to the bench in favor of Bailey Zappe: "Yeah, I would say it's not about one guy. I mean, he'd be the first to tell you that there are things that he has to do better, whether it's obviously taking care of the ball or, you know, maybe reading the route better or getting us into a better play or whatever it is. But it's a collective effort. That's why it's not a one-on-one sport. It's an 11-man sport. You're trying to get 11 guys on the same page to do the right thing on every play. And right now, we're not near doing that. And so it's not about one guy, but as the quarterback, you know, you're going to shoulder a lot of that, and he understands that he's working hard. He's in here early, in here yesterday, trying to think about things to do better. We had a good fundamental meeting right here about half an hour ago. So we're, you know, we're ready to go for practice today. Take it one day at a time and try to, you know, dig ourselves out of."
Giardi translation: O'Brien is right - this isn't about one player. Except for David Andrews and Trent Brown (on most plays), no one is playing at nearly the level expected when the Pats put together this team. Now, we can certainly debate whether or not the roster build was done well (hint: it wasn't), but this is what the coaching staff has to work with, and it's been an underperforming lot by and large. I've said repeatedly that O'Brien is coaching with one hand tied behind his back because of line issues and a lack of talent at the receiver position, but now it's two hands because Jones has cratered.
Question: Do you anticipate Mac being the starter this week?
O'Brien: I do. I do.
Question: So, you don't believe that maybe just a mental break after the last two weeks might be something that could benefit Matt?
O'Brien: "No, there's no time for mental breaks. Those are on your days off; I guess you can take a little mental break, but it's the grind of the season. In order to be in this league, as a coach, as a player, as anybody in this league, you have to be mentally tough. There's a grind, there's a grind that goes to the league. It's a 17-week grind, and we all have to be mentally tough. The sun came up today, and we're going to practice today, and we're going to get after it and be fundamentally sound tonight. So you see what happens tomorrow. One day at a time."
Giardi translation: We can talk about Mac being mentally tough - Belichick and O'Brien have referenced it in recent weeks - but the on-field performance and his overall demeanor in lopsided losses to the Cowboys and Saints tell a different story. If this quarterback wants to earn back the trust he had as a rookie, or even heading into year two, this is a significant part of the process, and his last test - Sunday's loss - went poorly. I think it's over, but there are games left to be played, and someone has to play them. Maybe this truly is Mac's last chance, and if there isn't a definitive improvement, sound the Bailey Zappe siren. I think the former first-rounder needs a break, and that huddle needs a break from him.
O'Brien on where he is emotionally with this offense: "Absolutely. There's always a level of frustration. You know, we just had a really good meeting. Now look, we're all trying to do the right things. We have to do them better. You know, you've you've heard this for years. We have to coach the details better. We have to coach better. We have to - at times - we have to execute better. We have to be a lot more consistent in what we do. There are times where we show glimpses of being - very few times, I get it in the last two weeks - of showing glimpses of what we can be, but it's not enough. We have to be more consistent on what we're doing on the practice field as coaches and players, and that's really what we're working on. There's a lot of season left. You know, there's a lot of season left. And, you know, there's always obituaries being written, but there's a lot of football to be played. So let's see if we can get better, and I think the NFL is always about who can improve the fastest. We have a long way to go - don't get me wrong - but hopefully, we can get there.
Giardi translation: "There's always obituaries being written…" O'Brien is speaking from experience when he says that. He heard and read them here when he was the offensive coordinator (I remember a somewhat contentious argument between him and a reporter back in the day) and then again as the head coach with the Texans, where he was eventually fired. But when the Pats tell you to ignore the noise, they're full of crap. This team - especially the head coach - hears and reacts accordingly. I've talked to many players who came from different organizations, and they'll all tell you - to a man - that this operation is borderline obsessed with the media, who said what, who is friendly, and who's the enemy. So, as you can imagine, the noise is deafening after the last two weekends. They'd better focus on what matters - playing better - and less on what Bedard and I say.
Pats head coach in waiting (?) Jerod Mayo was asked what Belichick's comment about "starting over" meant to him: "Getting back to the basics. We've talked about fundamentals. There have been times where we played very well defensively, and there are times that you know, the basics are starting over, getting back to what we know, as far as our effort, as far as our tackling, and getting back to the basics.
Question: Have you seen a need for more effort?
Mayo: "No, I won't say I've seen a lack of effort, you know, across the board, but it's always one guy here, one guy there, and that's not us. That's not the standard that we've set. And hopefully, starting today on the practice field, we get a lot better at just getting to the ball."
Giardi translation: The Pats' margin for error is slim, and the defense has been in bad spots. On occasion, that has led to a player here or there stepping out of structure and not finding success when doing so. Mayo and the rest of that defensive staff have and continue to remind the unit that - boring as it may sound - they must do their job. Doing so will create a much more stable defense that can keep this team's head above water. Even in the last two weeks, for as poor as it's been, a handful of plays in each game were killers. That signals a team playing below their level, even if that level is still better than many defenses in the league. Sorry, fellas, but we need better if you want this season to have some meaning. It's almost over, but not over yet (mathematically).