After losing to the Jaguars on Sunday in London, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters, “We’re a soft football team across the board.”
That statement certainly raised some eyebrows, which might be part of why Mayo addressed the subject when speaking to the media on Monday morning.
“I felt like we just went out there and played soft,” Mayo said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “We’re playing soft at the moment. When I say playing soft, it means stopping the run, being able to run the ball, and being able to cover kicks, which we weren’t able to do.
“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 was also asked if his belief in being “demanding without being demeaning” has been shaken given the way the Patriots have played in 2024.
“That’s in my DNA,” Mayo said. “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 of coaching them hard.
“Obviously, it would be easy if we were sitting here at 6-1 to continue to have that message. But at 1-6, l guess it’s a natural question from you, ‘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 Patriots will not have a bye after playing in London, as they’ll host the Jets this week. New England has lost six in a row after the club’s season-opening victory over Cincinnati.
