FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo walked through the interview room door at Wembley Stadium as if he had just broken the huddle from his career as a playcalling linebacker. He looked exasperated as he took the podium and spoke from the heart.
"Look, what I'd say is we're a soft football team across the board." Mayo's team started its Week 7 trip to London in impressive fashion, opening a 10-0 first-quarter lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars . But then, the Patriots gave up the game's next 25 points and lost their sixth straight game.
Mayo didn't pound the dais in front of him. In fact, he hardly raised his voice. He matter-of-factly ripped his team.
Can't run the ball. Can't stop the run. Can't cover kicks.
Some within the group of 20 or so reporters in the postgame interview room turned to one another as Mayo's session ended. There was surprise at how direct and biting his critique was, something Patriots media had not seen much of in the prior 24 seasons. For the first time in 25 years, the Patriots began a season without Bill Belichick as their head coach.
Mayo was handpicked by owner Robert Kraft, who was drawn to the coach's knack for connecting with a younger generation of players. The new era of Patriots football brought optimism in the offseason -- buoyed by the drafting of first-round quarterback Drake Maye -- that rolled into the NFL's most shocking Week 1 victory since 2018 when New England upset the Cincinnati Bengals . But turb.
