Ultimately, this wasn’t solely about the firing of Jerod Mayo. Truthfully, it was about the entire process that led to both Mayo’s firing and hiring in the first place, the kind of colossal error in judgment that can’t help but make one wonder about the factors that triggered it all in the first place.
Look, you can blame Jerod Mayo all you want. And he has paid a price. Mayo’s reputation as a coach is now severely damaged, at least in the short term, and I’m not sure there is anyone that would hire him right now as a coordinator (a title Mayo has never held) let alone as a head coach. The deterioration of the Patriots defense this season was really the worst thing that happened to Mayo this season because that was the one thing Mayo was absolutely, positively supposed to have under his thumb.
So Mayo got shown the door, which is fine. Maybe you feel for him (at least a little), maybe you don’t. But the simple truth remains that Mayo’s ascension might have been the worst leadership hiring in Boston since Bobby Valentine, which felt like a similarly slapped-together decision made for all the wrong reasons.
And you know what both teams had in common at the time? Success. And, if it’s possible, maybe even a little too much of it. The moment you start to think winning is easy – and, therefore, begin to devalue it – is the moment you start to get sloppy and careless. And lest there be any doubt, that is precisely what happened here to Robert Kraft and to the Patriots, who built one of the great brands in professional sports and then handed it to someone who had never been a head coach on any level and who had never even held the title of a chief assistant.
And then they surrounded him with a cast similarly devoid of NFL experience as a general manager, defensive coordinator or offensive play-caller. There have been expansion teams with far more experience than the Patriots had, which seems unfathomable for an organization that routinely puffed out its chest and spewed on and on about the Patriot Way.
Seriously, think about that. Why the extremes? Why the need to tell everyone how great you are and then abandon some of the principles that got you there in the first place? Just because you’ve won, that doesn’t mean you get to treat the next year – or the next five – like some time of personal laboratory or playground. The process doesn’t change or get any easier. You still have to do what you have to do. (Celtics fans, please pay attention to this.)
But the Krafts and the Patriots? They treated the transitions from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick like a morning shower and cup of coffee. Another day, another dollar. In the case of the former, the initial answer was Cam Newton. In the case of the latter, the answer was Jerod Mayo. The seasons of each effectively became throwaways. Meanwhile, the fans were expected to show the same passion and commitment because, well, the winning was leverage. We can get away with it. Look at how much we’ve given them.
Sorry, but as an accomplished coach once said, there are no days off – let alone years – especially in the cutthroat world of professional sports.
Just because a season ends with a parade, that doesn’t mean you get to put your feet up for the next one.
Or, again, the next five.
Before we digress any further, back to the decision to hire Mayo in the first place. What was behind it? At the time, there were reports of the Krafts “wanting their team back” after the all-powerful Belichick had been clutching it for 24 years, which seems like a sentiment rooted in some level of selfishness and/or insecurity. It’s mine. Recently, Robert Kraft has been telling us that he has always viewed himself as a custodian. Yet, after he dismissed Belichick, Kraft hired an inexperienced coach who had snookered him with affection, which certainly seems like the kind of move that was best for Kraft and not necessarily for the Patriots.
To his credit, Kraft owned that mistake earlier this week. But that hardly means the Patriots – and you – shouldn’t do some serious reflection. Kraft is now 83. Are his priorities the same as they were when he bought the team more than 30 years ago? Of course not. How could they be? Isn’t Jonathan Kraft now at a stage of life far more equipped to be the chief decision-maker? All of that needs to be examined. Jonathan Kraft wasn’t at the announcement or Mayo’s hiring or firing, which seems curious. Why? Certainly, the Krafts are under no obligation to disclose all family dynamics. But as it relates to the Patriots, the fans still have a right to ask.
(As a total tangent, and we’ve alluded to this before, you should be examining this with all four of the city’s major sports franchises.)
So we here are now, less than a year from the date Mayo was hired, and the Patriots are again looking for a head to their football operation. Mike Vrabel seems like the easy and obvious choice, which should simultaneously comfort you and concern you. (Certainly, he seems like the safest choice. But are the Patriots also turning over every stone?) Yet, as much as the mistakes have already been made and the fact that time only moves forward … why should you be so quick to forget? Your time and money weren’t any less valuable this year. If the Patriots are going to leverage you with their success over the last quarter-century, shouldn’t you be allowed to leverage them with their carelessness and failure?
Look at what you have given them.
Now, they owe you.
Patriots QBs in recent years
Tom Brady (2001-2019)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 29: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Dolphins defeat the Patriots 27-24. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Cam Newton (2020)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 19: Cam Newton #1 of the New England Patriots points against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 35-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe (2021-23)
DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots warms up as quarterback Nathan Rourke #13 watches prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on December 24, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye (2024)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 17: Jacoby Brissett #7 and Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots talk during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
