Patriots Displaying Glaring Lack of Accountability

The New England Patriots have a major problem, and it can be traced back to head coach Jerod Mayo.

Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots heac coach Jerod Mayo speaks and motions to his players on the field during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are heading into the final week of what has been an absolutely disastrous campaign, as they are just 3-13 as they prepare for their season finale against the Buffalo Bills.

No one expected the Patriots to be good this year, but people did expect to see some sort of progress, especially after Drake Maye took over as starting quarterback midway through October.

However, New England has actually taken some steps backward, and its lack of talent cannot be used as a viable excuse for a complete lack of accountability.

That is what the Pats have shown under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, who has placed the blame everywhere but his own self — for the most part — throughout the season.

Mayo called his players "soft" earlier in the year. He blamed them for the team's blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins in late November, saying that there was only so much a coach can do.

Heck, when the fans called for his job during the Patriots' embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers last week, he said "we" need to be better.

And now, his attitude appears to be rubbing off on his players, as linebacker Jahlani Tavai just said that fans need to "know their place" when it comes to criticizing the head coach.

You mean the fans that supply the financial means for New England to run its organization?

This goes beyond a shoddy roster. This is about culture, and it is something we are not accustomed to seeing from a Pats franchise that has won six Super Bowls and appeared in nine since the turn of the century.

And to be quite frank, this glaring lack of culpability did not occur during the Bill Belichick era. Sure, the Patriots stunk up the joint in Belichick's final year as head coach in 2023, but we didn't see this type of behavior while he was on the sideline.

This is something new for New England. The cryptic messages on social media. The prickly quotes in postgame press conferences. The whining and complaining about roles to reporters.

It has occurred tenfold this season, and it can almost certainly be traced back to Mayo, who appears to be safe for 2025 only due to the fact that he has the least talented roster in football at his disposal.

Mayo probably does deserve another chance to right the ship considering he is just a rookie, but you rarely see this type of abrasive culture in any NFL organization, regardless of whether or not the coach is in his debut campaign.

Hopefully, Mayo does look in the mirror and comes to the conclusion that major changes need to be made this offseason, starting with himself.

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