Earlier than Jerod Mayo opened the ground for questions after the Patriots’ lopsided loss to the Chargers, New England’s head coach made a troubling admission.
“That is what I advised the gamers, there’s actually nothing good to take out of that recreation at present,” Mayo advised reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “Simply the shortage of execution.”
Mayo deserves some credit score for not attempting to sugarcoat a nightmarish state of affairs. The Patriots didn’t supply something to write down dwelling about in the 40-7 resolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. However the harsh actuality was one other indictment on the first-year head coach.
Mayo defenders — if there are any at this level — can save the “there wasn’t something to play for” argument. That’s bogus. Even when gamers had been motivated solely by private causes — corresponding to incentives or free-agent inventory — New England mustn’t have entered Week 17 already defeated. The Patriots additionally had an opportunity to play spoiler — a story Mayo admitted to talking with gamers about — towards a Los Angeles workforce that also was with out a playoff spot getting into Saturday.
However regardless of available gasoline for the hearth, New England put forth certainly one of its worst all-around performances of the season on its dwelling turf. That was a tricky feat to tug off by a 3-13 soccer workforce that’s been terrible for almost all of the season, and fairly frankly, it was unacceptable. This season was purported to be about growth for the Patriots, and a grand complete of zero of them carried out properly of their penultimate tilt of the marketing campaign.
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And after we say zero, we imply zero. Even Drake Maye, who seems to be blossoming right into a star quarterback, didn’t do a lot of something towards the Bolts. Maye’s lone spotlight was on a free play the place the rookie threw up a prayer towards the tip zone and the undersized DeMario Douglas in some way latched onto the pigskin.
That’s not how a rebuilding workforce ought to have checked out that time within the season, even one primed to make one of many first picks within the upcoming draft. The Patriots ought to have performed impressed soccer with hopes of ending the season sturdy and setting a constructive tone for subsequent season. However they regarded fully flat and largely checked out, which seemingly means the coaches didn’t do their jobs of getting gamers able to play.
The lion’s share of latest reporting about Mayo indicated New England possession gave a protracted leash to the previous linebacker and wasn’t desirous to make a training change. However when you’re sitting atop the totem pole of a franchise, how may you watch Saturday’s recreation and really feel comfy transferring ahead with the present regime?
