Mayo: Comment on Pats' offense was 'defensive'

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged he made a mistake in how he answered a question on offensive playcalling after the New England Patriots' 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which left open to interpretation that he might be at odds with coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

A key part of the game came when the Patriots were stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Cardinals' 4-yard line in the third quarter. On both plays, the Patriots utilized traditional handoffs on running plays, which led Mayo to be asked whether calling on quarterback Drake Maye to sneak was considered.

"You said it. I didn't," Mayo answered.

While Mayo later answered that he is responsible for all decisions, his initial remark could have been viewed as a slight on Van Pelt, the first-year play-caller.

Mayo further addressed his comments in his day-after-game video conference Monday.

"I didn't mean anything by that," Mayo said. "It was more of a defensive response. I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question [Sunday], because ultimately all those decisions are mine. ... I didn't want to go down that whole rabbit hole trying to explain all those things."

Mayo also said in his weekly radio interview on sports radio WEEI that he "shouldn't have done that. Just like I tell the players, I'm still learning how those things work."

Mayo has had similar missteps in what has been a rocky initial season with the Patriots, who are 3-11 and sputtering towards the end of the regular season.

Immediately after the Patriots' loss to the Jaguars in London on Oct. 20, Mayo said they were a "soft football team across the board," before clarifying the next day that they were "playing soft."

Before that, shortly after he was hired in January, Mayo said in a radio interview that the team was ready to "burn some cash" to bring in talented players. He later called it a "rookie mistake", clarifying that the Patriots would spend wisely.

Those mistakes, in addition to the team's shaky play on the field, have contributed to a frustrating season in the first year after owner Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick following 24 seasons at the helm.

During Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, CBS cameras showed Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft multiple times, as Jonathan Kraft appeared to be frustrated with the pace of the offense at one point in the second quarter, making a motion with his hand and finger to speed things up.

Entering the season, Robert Kraft had preached patience with Mayo, 38, who is the second-youngest head coach in the NFL behind the Seahawks' Mike Macdonald. Kraft said one of the top traits he saw in Mayo, who played linebacker for the team from 2008 to 2015 and served as a linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023, is his ability to connect with and manage younger players.

Kraft predicted before the season that they would "probably be in for some rough times" -- a reference, in part, to more time needed to stock the roster with talent. At the same time, Kraft projected the season "will be great growth and lay the foundation for the future."

Kraft hasn't publicly commented on Mayo since the season began.