Head coach Jerod Mayo caused a stir on Sunday after his New England Patriots’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL game in London when he described his players as “soft.” His predecessor Bill Belichick didn’t want to let it stand that way.
The Patriots suffered their sixth defeat in a row at 16:32 at Wembley Stadium. Mayo then stated to the press: “We are a soft football team in all areas.” And “soft” is one of the biggest insults to a football player. An assessment that Mayo’s famous predecessor, eight-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, did not want to leave.
In his weekly Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” he weighed in on Mayo’s statements, saying, “Defensively, the Patriots led the league in rushing defense last year – yards per carry, No. 1 in the league – and this year They’re way down somewhere in the 20s. And they’re the same guys who extended Jennings, Tavai and of course, Marcus Jones and Gonzalez, after being on injured reserve at this point last year . They have Wise, Godchaux, Keion White, Mapu and Gonzalez – three rookies from last year.”
Belichick continued: “It’s some of the same players and probably a few more and I have to say, I kind of feel hurt for those guys because they call them soft. They’re not soft. They were the best team in the league Last year against the run, these guys went out and performed even though we couldn’t score many points on offense.”
Belichick stands up for his former players
And Belichick made it clear: “I feel bad for the defensive players in this because this is a tough group. Jon Jones, Godchaux, Wise, Jennings, Uche, Dugger… these are all tough players.” And all players that Belichick himself once brought to Foxborough.
The Patriots are currently in their first year without Belichick with a 1-6 record and would now have the first pick in the upcoming draft. To criticize this defense, which has noticeably taken a step backwards, is also, conversely, a criticism of Belichick, even though Mayo was part of the coaching staff at the time as inside linebackers coach.
Source: www.sport.de
