Patriots HC Praises Team After 'Soft' Comments

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo praised his team for their response to his "soft" comments.

Oct 27, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo calls a play against the New York Jets during the first half at Gillette Stadium. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Just over a week ago, New England Patriots' first-year head coach Jerod Mayo made headlines with a very negative post-game comment about his team following a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

He called his team "soft," which is something that many didn't take kindly to. Even former head coach Bill Belichick spoke out against the comments.

That being said, the comments seem to have worked. In Week 8 action, the Patriots came out looking like a fire had been lit under them. They ended up pulling off a massive upset win over Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.

Following the big win, Mayo spoke out and offered major praise to his team for responding to the challenge.

“It means a lot,” Mayo said. “When you preach something and it shows up in the game, it’s always going to be more impactful. I would say there comes a point in time where everybody in the stadium knows you got to run the ball. On defense or offense, there comes a point in time where they know, everyone knows, the fans know, it’s a run play. You got to really just defeat the man across from you. Look, fortunately, our guys got movement, and we scored, so it was great.”

Mayo was criticized heavily for his coaching style. However, his coaching clearly paid off against New York.

With the win, New England moved to 2-6 on the season. They aren't going to bounce back and become a playoff contender more than likely, but they showed major improvement.

Even with rookie starting quarterback Drake Maye going down due to a head injury, the Patriots were able to find a way to win. That shows how close the team is together and how much talent they truly do have on the roster.

After a week full off speculation that Mayo's job status could be on the line, the team shut down all of the outside noise. Mayo has a lot of things to work on as a head coach, but he's in his first year and he deserves some patience. His players clearly respond to him.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, New England simply needs to show continued signs of development. They are a young team and are focused on getting back into contention over the next couple of years.

For now, the Patriots can enjoy their big win and a positive week of media coverage.

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