Welcome to Dolloff’s Thoughts, a weekly column. The name is fairly self-explanatory, but I reserve the right to change it to something more snappy in the coming weeks.
We’re going to be light in here, unserious. Thoughts on sports and off-topic stuff. Not to get too personal but I’m seeking a new creative outlet after years of going to games, writing about what happened in the games, then going home from the games. It doesn’t help that the Patriots have lost so much in recent years that the Felger and Mazz parodies are sparse.
So, I’ll write some stuff and fire it out there and see how it goes. Expect some clunkers and growing pains. But give it a shot and see if you enjoy it. Here we go…
What Would You Say You Do Here?
Jerod Mayo has a clear way he wants to coach, and he’s aggressively sticking to it.
After the Patriots’ shocked the Bengals in Week 1, Mayo spoke of empowering both players and other coaches to do their jobs, functioning as a hands-off overseer. SI’s Albert Breer previewed Mayo as a “walk-around head coach.” Polar opposite of a puppet master. The approach works for the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin or the Lions’ Dan Campbell.
Big difference: Tomlin has historically had experienced, skilled coordinators under him. Campbell has arguably the best offensive and defensive coordinators in the league in Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. The head coaches are empowering people, and said people are then having success.
The Patriots have decidedly lacked success under Mayo’s top assistants, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. It should be understandable for Mayo to work closer with them in the face of trouble, especially with Covington and the defense.
Mayo appears to be a head coach who simply refuses to turn up the dial on his subordinates. His now-iconic quote, “Once those guys cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them,” may have had a dash of context cooked out of it in some media cauldrons, because he still hits you with the “It starts with me” every week. But it still sends a distressing signal.
It validates those of us who are wondering: What does Mayo do on Sundays, then? If he’s not going to call any plays, request any adjustments, or convene with any players, then he better call a crisp game, make cleaner big-picture decisions over the course of the 60 minutes. If he’s just doing a bit to see how long he can just stand there without intervening in the operation, he seems highly committed to it.
“Hmmm … Run a play.”
Mayo got skipped a level or two as he ascended to head coach in New England. It’s possible he simply has to learn on the job. Problem is, some of the top people tasked with helping him are also learning on the job. Too much learning, not enough doing.
It’s of course reasonable to assume that Mayo does stuff. He just needs to do more. At least keep a closer eye on the defensive planning during the week and definitely during games, if he isn’t already. Trusting people to get the job done is generally a good quality in a leader.
With Mayo it’s too high. Too much trust in these guys to build toward great success, at the moment.
There’s a simmering anger toward Mayo and the job he’s done in his first year as head coach among some fans, based on the public reactions. But calls for Mayo to be fired, at least have a meeting with the Bobs, are premature, even if he deserves it. It’s just not going to happen.
What can happen, is for Mayo to do more stuff. Or do better with the stuff he’s already doing. The stuff hasn’t been good enough and neither has been the doing.
Arm Your Athletes
The biggest problem facing the Patriots roster right now is that they lack players who are worthy of their homes being robbed.
It’s an unfortunate byproduct of rooting for a struggling team. When the NFL sent a memo to clubs alerting to the presence of possible organized crime, amid the recent robberies of both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the feeling was jealousy. Mahomes and Kelce, one of the world’s most prominent sports duos, intentionally targeted by what was described as a “transnational crime ring.”
Why can’t the Patriots get guys like that? It’s frustrating for New England fans to continually accept that groups of men across the league are executing much more efficiently than they are, and to such great success. People actually deserving of praise and admiration. But enough about the robbers. The Pats could most certainly use better players, preferably the kinds that become trophies for international crime syndicates.
That will be the first sign of success for Mayo and his roster. Fighting off football’s bling ring. The hope that in a few years, Drake Maye will be in the news after chucking footballs at a burglar’s nose.
Friendly Fire
A vow of revenge can be the only explanation for Mahomes’ “violent gesture” that earned him a fine from the NFL offices. Tried and failed to subtly send a message to those brazen thieves.
Good thinking by the league. Can’t have the children seeing finger-guns. Better play it extra-safe and focus citizens on lighter activities such as “Fortnite” or “Grand Theft Auto” or “demonstrating an attack dog for training purposes.”
“Why is Patrick Mahomes doing this?!”The league could try investing time and energy into their players getting robbed of their valuables, fans fighting each other, injuries, brain damage. Gun gestures should be low on the list of concerns. And what about the real guns?
The ‘GTA’ Moon Theory
Someone in the U.S. government needs to propose a bill requiring the release of the second trailer for “Grand Theft Auto VI.” They’re long overdue to address the mental health crisis.
Fans have become increasingly obsessed with the moon because it’s showing up so much in teasers over the past year. It’s the kind of psychoanalysis that would fund BetterHelp for a year. And who would be against granting “GTA” fans, including myself, to regular, affordable therapy?
Withhold the content people need, and they’ll stare at what they’ve got until they see things that probably aren’t there. Unless “GTA VI” takes place on the moon, it’s hard to discern any significance to its usage in promo materials. Even if it indicates a trailer release date. The trailer will come out when it comes out, then we can outrageously overanalyze that for a year.
Good luck instilling patience in the collective. At this point, the “GTA” crowd has accepted its insanity. We all need a little bit of that to play through these games in the first place.
Did The Bruins Find Their ‘Type?’
The Bruins have a workmanlike approach as a team, especially their most senior veteran leaders, like Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. They like to practice. That’s where they prefer to figure out their problems and prevent them from showing up in games.
Jim Montgomery, a motivator and communicator who seemingly had a deal with the Blues in his back pocket, likely wasn’t going to meet those expectations from a schematic or technical standpoint as a head coach. But you can tell that interim HC Joe Sacco has more of that. His attention to detail has a better chance of connecting with this group.
That’s been evident in the Bruins’ first two games under Sacco, in which they’ve allowed only three goals and played with better defensive structure. Granted, they’re still struggling to put the puck over the red line themselves, but if it never goes in at the other end, you’ll win every game. So, 70-9-3, on the way.
