Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick pushed back against current coach Jerod Mayo for calling Patriots players “soft” after dropping their sixth straight loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Despite the team’s struggles, Belichick does not share the same sentiment that Mayo does. The legendary coach appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday and explained his thoughts on the situation.
“Defensively, the Patriots led the league last year in rushing defense,” said Belichick, as transcribed by CLNS Media’s Mike Kadlick. “Yards per carry: No. 1 in the league, and this year they’re way down in the 20s somewhere. …It’s the same guys.
“They re-signed [Anfernee] Jennings, they re-signed [Jahlani] Tavai, they re-signed [Kyle] Dugger. Marcus Jones and [Christian] Gonzalez have been healthy… You got [Deatrich] Wise, you got [Davon] Godchaux, you got Keion White, you got [Marte] Mapu. It’s a lot the same players… I’m kind of hurt for those guys. Because to call them soft, they’re not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run… I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because those guys, that’s a tough group.”
It’s worth noting that defensive tackle Christian Barmore, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and linebacker Matthew Judon are either injured or no longer on the team this year.
Although some of the personnel remains the same, three of the best defensive players from last year are missing. Nevertheless, this does serve as a reminder that Belichick built much of the defensive unit.
It will ultimately come down to Mayo to turn things around this season. The Patriots have allowed 30-plus points in back-to-back weeks. They’ll have a chance to right the ship this week against the New York Jets.
