Jerod Mayo seems to be taking the Patriots wide receivers’ growing pains – and there have been many – in stride.
The wideout position has been among the biggest issues this season, regardless of who the quarterback has been. They have veterans in Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn, but the rest of the group – consisting of Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker – is young. They already parted ways with one youngster, cutting 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton loose over the weekend.
With that, there have been plenty of mistakes, both on and off the field. Dropped passes in droves, backbreaking penalties, cryptic social media posts -- you name it, at least one person from the positional group has done it at some point this season.
Sunday’s loss to the Rams was no different. On 4th and 1 with the Patriots on Los Angeles’ 19-yard line and down just nine points late in the game, Polk was flagged for a false start that forced the Patriots to kick a field goal. It proved to be their penultimate drive, with Drake Maye throwing a game-sealing interception the next time they had the ball.
Mayo responded to the situation Monday in his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show.
“Look, he’s frustrated, and that’s part of the maturation process too for a guy like Polk," Mayo said. "That’s the difference between a younger guy and a veteran player in this league. The younger guys are still trying to understand holistically what needs to be done – especially in critical situations.
“I would say from a team-wide perspective, it’s about accountability, it’s about action, it’s not about talk. I’ve always stood on that.”
For all the talking that has come out of the receiver room, there has been little in the way of results. Mayo was pushed on the notion that the receivers haven’t played well enough to talk -- let alone point a finger anywhere but at themselves.
“What that looks like, it’s up to the individual,” Mayo said in regards to expressing frustration. “Some players, they get so emotional they throw things, other players go into a shell, other players respond the right way and move on to the next play. So, that’s the way he handled it. ...
“Again, on that play, the frustrating thing about that false start play, in my mind, is 100 percent that’s going to be a touchdown. We have to learn from that – not only Polk, but myself as well. All of us, we have to learn from those mistakes.”