Patriots HC Unveils Brutally Honest Take
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has been on a rocky road during his first year leading the team. After taking over for Bill Belichick, he has had some major ups and downs.
While things haven't always gone as planned, Mayo knew that he wasn't going to come in and change things in year one. He has focused on making a long-term change with the franchise.
Mayo still has a lot of learning to do in his new role as well. He has been far too open with the media and needs to figure out a way to prepare his team a bit better than they have looked. That being said, his coaching performance has not been all bad and players haven been vocally supporting him.
Recently, Mayo spoke out about his first year with the team. He also unveiled a brutally honest take that he knew he wouldn't be able to change the franchise's culture right off the bat.
"I never thought that we would be able to re-establish a culture in Year 1," Mayo said. "It’s a process. It’s hard to change a culture. We’re trying to put those pieces together. I think it would be a disservice to get to the end of the year and not know exactly what we have from a player or coaching perspective. That has to be our focus."
Heading into Week 13 NFL action, the Patriots hold a 3-9 record. At this point in time, they would hold the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if the season ended today.
Despite the poor record, New England has shown flashes of big-time potential.
Drake Maye is clearly going to be the team's long-term franchise quarterback. He has shown off a highly talented arm and he has both football IQ and leadership skills far beyond his years.
Outside of Maye, the Patriots have some building blocks to work with. They should have a high draft pick and a lot of money to work with during the offseason as well.
It may be a rough year, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future.
Mayo seems to have a long-term goal in mind. Hopefully, he's able to help the team grow and develop and end up reaching that goal.
For now, fans need to remain patient as the team works through its growing pains. New England has a lot of work to do, but with the right moves they should find themselves back in playoff contention over the next few years.