The New England Patriots under Jerod Mayo are the “worst-coached” edition of the team in 30 years, according to Bill Simmons.
The Patriots flew to London last week, hoping a change of scenery would rejuvenate the struggling AFC East franchise. Instead, their dismal form followed the Pats across the pond as New England suffered a crushing 32-16 defeat to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.
The defeat to the Jags easily represents the low point of the Pats’ season. Not only was it a sixth straight loss as the team dropped to 1-6, but the play – aside from rookie quarterback Drake Maye – across the board was poor as Jacksonville overcame an early challenge to dominate en route to a second win of the 2024 season.
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While the Patriots have suffered several key defensive injuries and Maye’s first few showings of his career have inspired hope, this is a bad team. For iconic Boston sports writer and podcaster Simmons, this is the worst-coached team since the days of Rod Rust – who went 1-15 back in 1990 during his lone season at the helm.
“This is the worst-coached Pats team since Rod Rust,” Simmons, who founded The Ringer, posted on X. “They play all the hits every week – dumb penalties, drops, special teams mistakes, incredibly poor play calling. Each week is worse than the last. You get what you pay for.”
The Week 7 clash with the Jaguars appeared to be one of the more winnable games remaining on the Patriots’ schedule. Following the defeat at Wembley Stadium, Mayo labeled the Pats as a “soft” team before appearing to backtrack on those comments during his weekly radio appearance on WEEI on Monday.
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Mayo also addressed struggling rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk and said the Patriots “need more” from the second-round pick going forward. Simmons, though, was further incensed by the coach’s post-game comments and called for some accountability from the first-year head coach.
“Hey Mayo, we need more from you actually,” Simmons wrote. “Why is your D worse every week? Did Polk jump offside on a PAT to set up a 2 point? Did Polk give up a punt TD? Did Polk call all those f—— run plays? You’re only good at throwing shade at everyone else – including the previous coach.”
Back in March, New England possessed plenty of cap space but failed to significantly upgrade the offensive line – a unit that has closely resembled a turnstile while attempting to protect Jacoby Brissett and Maye. The franchise also missed out on key targets like Calvin Ridley, leaving the offense devoid of playmakers.
“Right now, they have the most money to spend of any team in the league, but free agency’s basically over,“ Simmons lamented on The Bill Simmons Podcast in March. ”They’re the cheapest team in the last 10 years for spending. And I guess my question is, is this just going to be the Patriots until Bob Kraft dies? Just super cheap.”
Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is proving to be a bright spot. He has thrown for over 200 yards in each of his first two starts, tallying five touchdowns to two interceptions while posting a 109.7 rating in the loss to the Jaguars. Perhaps there is some hope for the Pats in the future – but 2024 is looking bleak.
The Patriots are next in action against the 2-5 New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27.
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