Patriots' Jerod Mayo Throws Subtle Shade at Bill Belichick

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo appeared to take a jab at Bill Belichick in a recent interview.

Oct 13, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is in the crosshairs due to his team's 1-5 start, but he seems to be placing some blame elsewhere.

During an appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show, Mayo appeared to take a subtle shot at former Patriots coach Bill Belichick when asked about the state of the roster.

Clearly, New England's player personnel is not up to snuff, and when asked to provide a reason for the Pats' lack of overall talent, Mayo chose to give a vague—but loud—answer.

“You tell me,” Mayo said. “I’m not going there.”

Hmm, definitely sounds like Mayo is blaming the previous regime.

Mayo and Belichick have been taking thinly-veiled shots at one another ever since the coaching change took place back in January.

It's definitely unorthodox considering that Mayo was an in-house hire who had been serving as Belichick's linebackers coach and also played eight seasons under Belichick, but perhaps there is some bad blood there for whatever reason.

New England went into last offseason with ample cap space, but was unable to lure any big-name free agents. It attempted to sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but he spurned the Pats for the Tennessee Titans.

The Patriots have a horrendous offensive line and quite arguably the worst group of skill position players in the NFL, and while Belichick certainly deserves some blame for poor drafting, it's not like Mayo and Co. did a good job adding more talent heading into 2024, either.

New England is just 1-5 on the year and has lost five straight games since surprisingly beating the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener.

Mayo has definitely drawn considerable criticism in his first season as head coach, and deciding to throw jabs at Belichick—a Pats legend—probably won't help his cause.

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