As the losses have mounted, and some of the decisions made by the head coach and his staff have engendered heated discussions in this space, on the radio, on TV, in your living room, at the corner bar (mmm, beer), or anywhere else people care about the Patriots, Jerod Mayo's future leading the Patriots has become one of the primary topics of conversations.
During his appearance on WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' Monday morning, Mayo was asked if owner Robert Kraft had told him he'd be back next year.
"My main focus has just been really getting this team ready to play this week," responded Mayo.
At the tail end of that brief answer, Mayo's phone appeared to cut out. There was a pause as Hill assumed the connection had gone dead, but then Mayo popped back up, asking, "You got me?"
They did, and I believe that Pats fans do, too, for another year (at least). Recently, however, I've gotten some pushback from league sources for reporting that Jonathan Kraft is as onboard with Mayo as his father. While Robert might have initially been the one making calls around the league, I'm told that Jonathan has been the driving force since then; if you'll recall, there's been some different reporting on the purpose of those calls. The initial conversation centered on how best to "support the quarterback." Still, that tidbit sprouted in several different directions regarding coordinators, the general manager, Eliot Wolf, and, depending on how this season plays out, Mayo himself.
Add that with the revelation that Mayo has a de-briefing with ownership after games - could you imagine Belichick doing that? - and you wonder if Robert and Jonathan know enough about what they're watching and think they could/should influence the actual gameday decision-making? For reference, the only owners who regularly do this with their coaches are Jerry Jones in Dallas, Carolina's David Tepper, and Mark Davis with the Raiders. I'm not saying it doesn't happen elsewhere, and we know other checkwriters (Woody Johnson, for instance) interject themselves, but reviewing decisions with non-football people is a recipe for trouble.
"Yes, they are the owners of the team, but they're also huge fans of football and huge fans of the Patriots, so they have just the normal questions that I'm sure you guys talk about, or fans talk about," said Mayo when asked about the nature of those conversations.
Perhaps that's why Hill tried to press Mayo about his future. But as with the first question, Mayo wasn't about to take the cheese in round two.
"I'm not going to get into all that stuff. Here I go again, dancing a little bit, but my focus is on the guys in this room, the coaches on the staff, and winning this game that we have coming up."
As it should be, even though a 3-10 record shouldn't guarantee anybody anything. As Mayo has noted previously (and again today), wins can quell much of the noise surrounding him. While the Pats have the third-strongest strength of schedule over this final month, Sunday's opponent, the Cardinals, has lost three in a row. The Chargers must come to cold Foxborough and likely play at 1 o'clock (10 a.m. West Coast time). The finale against the Bills may not mean anything for Buffalo. The Bills likely saw their hopes for the #1 seed in the AFC go the way of the dodo bird with yesterday's loss to the Rams (and the Chiefs doinking their way past the Chargers). The Pats won't be favored in any of those games - why would they? - but there's a chance for a victory or two. I wouldn't bet real money on that, but it's not like they haven't been in a bunch of games (and love to tell us about it).
Is one year - not even - insufficient time for a first-year head to take over a bottom-of-the-barrel roster and make it look decidedly different? Yes. Yes, it is. That said, should Mayo, his staff, and players have shown more growth than we've seen to this point? Yes. Yes, they should. And while Drake Maye has given the offense a serious injection of life - the Pats are averaging a touchdown more per game with him as the starter - the operation is still as messy as ever. They're 9th in the league in penalties, can't seem to craft a gameplan to affect opposing offenses (their pressure rate is in the bottom three in the league), and still struggle mightily to protect their own quarterbacks, whether it was Jacoby Brissett (pressure rate at 50%) or Maye (39%). Yet, Mayo's confidence in himself and his potential for future success has not waned.
"100%. I know I'll be successful. 100%. And look, you're going to go through these trying times. Like, that's what it is. The mark of a true leader is being able to navigate this and knowing that you're going the right way. And I truly believe that we are going the right way. In the short term, it may be disappointing, but in the long term, we're doing it the right way."
Mayo often says he's talking to his team when he does his media sessions, but one can't help but think that last message may be intended for the guy who signs his check and his son, who has his fingerprints on all that's happening at One Patriot Place.
ODDS AND ENDS
Rookie tackle Caedan Wallace returned to practice Monday. The team now has 21 days to activate him or he reverts to IR for the remainder of the year. Cole Strange continues to progress and work at center.