Jerod Mayo – Patriots played soft, but believes they can turn it around

Jerod Mayo revisited his comments about his New England Patriots as a “soft football team across the board” on Monday, saying he believes the players have what it takes to turn things around.

“I felt like we just went out there and played soft. We’re playing soft at the moment,” Mayo said about his remarks following the team’s 32-16 loss to the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. “Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? 100 percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day.”

Mayo, in his first season as coach, said he measures toughness in a team by how it stops the run, runs the ball and covers kicks. On Sunday against the Jaguars, the Patriots surrendered 171 rushing yards, rushed for 38 yards, and gave up a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Multiple players agreed with Mayo’s assessment, saying he mentioned it to them in the locker room after the game before he shared his remarks with reporters. At the same time, frustration was evident among some players in the locker room after Sunday’s defeat, the team’s sixth in a row following a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the first week of the season.

Mayo, who played linebacker for the Patriots from 2008-2015, has described part of his coaching style as being “demanding without demeaning.” He was asked Monday if his belief in that philosophy has been shaken by the team’s struggles.

“That’s in my DNA. Once again, a lot of these things are about relationships and treating people as human beings. That doesn’t mean we’re out there coaching these guys soft. I think the coaches do a good job coaching them hard,” he said Monday.

“Obviously, it would be easy if we were sitting there at 6-1 to continue to have that message. But at 1-6, I guess it’s a natural question, ‘Should we change up our coaching style?’ I just think we need to continue to work hard and continue to push the players to get the results on the field.”

The inability to stop the run has been a problem for the team in each of the last five games, with opponents averaging 167.4 yards per game over that stretch. The absences of defensive tackle Christian Barmore (blood clots), linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn biceps) and safety Jabrill Peppers (commissioner exempt list) have been a factor, but players have preached a “next man up mentality.”

On offense, the team has started seven different configurations on the offensive line, a result of injuries and ineffective play. That seems to have most adversely affected the running game the last two weeks, which has made the Patriots one-dimensional with rookie quarterback Drake Maye and the passing game.

Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, has been one of the silver linings of the team’s recent struggles. He was 26 of 37 for 267 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday.

“He’s definitely playing at a good level for us,” Mayo said.