Jerod Mayo's first season replacing a legend has been rough and tumble.
New England sits at 3-10 entering the late-season bye week, with a few bright spots -- a Week 1 victory, Drake Maye's development -- but more stubbed toes, from the mounting losses to the on-field struggles to several regrettable comments from the new head coach.
In a recent interview with Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, Mayo admitted he's still growing as a coach.
"I always try to reflect after the games, and now we're in the bye week, so there's definitely a chance, an opportunity to reflect on the entire season up until this point and what we need to do going forward. Now in saying that, I still have a lot to learn as well as the head coach of this football team, and I understand that," Mayo said. via the Boston Globe. "It's a very different role. In saying that -- I tell the players the same thing -- the biggest jump you'll ever have in your career is from year one to year two, as far as becoming a better player, a better professional.
"I'm sure, 100%, that I will be a better coach in year two than I am in year one. I would also say when you're out there on the field, for me at least, I'm always trying to do what's best for the football team, and we're always trying to win every single football game. Now…are there times when we could've been more aggressive? Absolutely."
Replacing Bill Belichick was never going to be without its bumps, particularly given the roster makeup.
Several times this season, Mayo has taken back some of his comments, from a preseason quote about Maye performing better than eventual Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett to last week's faux pas in which he mentioned Belichick not calling a timeout in the Super Bowl while discussing a regular-season loss to Indianapolis. With each misstep, Mayo has admitted his mistake. The key will be learning from them and not repeatedly falling into the same hole.
On one level, it's unsurprising that the Patriots have struggled -- the roster, particularly on offense, had glaring questions entering the season. On a different note, Mayo's flubs have been glaring, and the defense has taken a drastic step backward. The key upward mobility for the franchise in 2025 will be the development of Maye, who has flashed some brilliance amid expected rookie struggles.
Maye didn't start until Week 6, which, given the offensive line and weapons concerns, looks like the right move for Mayo.
"It would've been very easy if I heard all of the noise to really go against the plan that we talked about in a time of peace -- and when I say in a time of peace, that's when you don't have all these people in your ear telling you what to do," Mayo said. "I think right now everyone's like, 'Well, maybe that was the right move because he's playing at a high level,' In saying that, [Maye] still has a lot of room to grow. But at the same time, we felt like this is the development plan for the starting quarterback, the most important piece on the team. And we feel like we're in a good place."
The Patriots need Mayo to take that Year 2 leap as a coach in order to take a step forward as a franchise.
