This season was always going to be tough for Jerrod Maio, regardless of the results on the pitch. He replaces Bill Belichick, considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history and the mind who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. That position is impossible to fill, and the task ended up being made more difficult for Mayo thanks to Belichick’s sudden penchant for speaking his mind in media appearances.
With the Patriots sitting at 1-6 and Mayo describing his team as “soft” in postgame news conferences, Belichick finally reflected on what his coaching protégé is doing with his former team on Tuesday. He was somewhat critical and didn’t seem to pull many punches. On Wednesday, Mayo was asked about the criticism and gave a frank response that echoes Belicek’s education.
“My main focus is the people inside this building,” he told reporters.
Since Mayo had also delivered a veritable classic before that by saying the Patriots were “on board” with all the hype surrounding the organization, he clearly learned something from his years on Belichick’s staff. There’s not much he can do about what people outside the building say, so it’s best to ignore it. Even when it’s Bill Belichick.
New England’s next chance to calm down the noise will come Sunday against the Jets.
