With the Patriots having the week off ahead of their Week 14 bye, there has been no media availability with the team since Tuesday.
So with first-year head coach Jerod Mayo joining NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran for an exclusive interview on his “Tom Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast,” there’s plenty of time for Patriots fans to unpack the longtime WEEI contributor’s conversation with his former NBC colleague.
Curran sat down with Mayo for a 20-minute interview at the Patriots Hall of Fame.
The first half of the interview focused heavily on Mayo’s first year at the helm for the Patriots, which has been heavily scrutinized by fans and media alike both locally and nationally.
While Curran was far from combative with his former “Quick Slants” cohost, he did not fully shy away from asking Mayo about some of the challenges he’s had as head coach in year one.
One of those topics was the offensive playcalling that inevitably led to the Colts’ 19-play, 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive in Week 13, dropping the Patriots to 3-10 on the season after the 25-24 loss at Gillette Stadium.
Curran said, “I wrote this week after this most-recent loss against the Colts that when you guys got the ball at the 48 with 8 minutes left, ran the ball two times into the line, punted, and then they got the ball and you know the rest - I said, ‘Man, that’s the first time in the entire game they ran the ball two times to open a drive. They were trying to bleed the clock.’
“Your best player, in my estimation, is Drake [Maye]. Why not just let him cook? Why not just go for the attack? At this juncture, it’s a team that is struggling to get wins, and I was wondering why no attack mentality? Have you been introspective and said, ‘Man, are we too cautious here?’ Why would it be that way?”
“I always try to reflect, you know, after the games,” said Mayo. “And, you know, now we’re in the bye week, so there’s definitely a chance and opportunity to reflect on the entire season up until this point, and what we need to do going forward. Now in saying that, I still have a lot to learn, as well, as the head coach of this football team. And I understood that. You know, it’s a very different role.
“In saying that, I tell the players the same thing. The biggest jump you’ll ever have in your career is from year one to year two - as far as becoming a better player, a better professional. I’m sure, 100%, I will be a better coach in year two than I am in year one.”
While Mayo didn’t directly answer Curran’s specific question about lacking aggressiveness on offense during a critical juncture in Week 13, he told you, in as many words, that with more seasoning, he feels like a better set of decisions would be made in a similar situation in the future.
“I’m always trying to do what’s best for the football team,” said Mayo. “And we’re always trying to win every single game. Now in saying that - are there times where we could’ve been more aggressive or not? Absolutely, absolutely.”
As the interview wrapped, Mayo left Curran with his philosophy on making tough decisions.
“I always tell the guys, you know, ‘You have to make the hard decisions to have an easy life,’” said Mayo. “And then, vice versa - if you make the easy decisions, you’re always gonna have a hard life. And I live that way.
“Make the hard decisions. It’s hard, you know, in this role. It’s hard, especially right now. It’s hard, but we’ll get out the other end.”
We’ll see if Mayo is willing to enact his hard-decision mantra during crucial offensive situations down the stretch of his first season, with four games left in his rookie campaign.
The Patriots return to action Week 15 with a road game against the Arizona Cardinals (6-6).
With that contest 10 days away, FanDuel currently lists Mayo’s team as a 6.5-point underdog.