Patriots holding back Drake Maye? Are coaches favoring his protection, over playing for wins? Are Pats' coaches coaching for their jobs?
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00:00And I gotta think of Drake May hearing that, he must be pissed.
00:04Like, I think Drake May wants to show what he can do, and I also think when you think
00:10about Gerard Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, their jobs are on the line.
00:14We all believe that.
00:15I mean, I don't think they're gonna be saying goodbye to Gerard Mayo, but fans are calling
00:20for their jobs, so to only focus on Drake May and protecting your quarterback instead
00:27of winning games, that's an issue.
00:30But when you talk like that, it doesn't come across as, like, you feel like your job's
00:34on the line.
00:35It comes across as, like, we don't want to get this guy hurt, we want him to be healthy
00:39and ready to go for next season.
00:42That's what it doesn't sound like Alex Van Pelt's thinking, like, my job's on the line.
00:45It thinks like, well, I want to make sure these last couple of games, I don't put Drake
00:50in harm's way with design quarterback runs, and I need him to be healthy come the soft
00:55season so we can, you know, focus on what we need to do to get better moving forward
01:01for next year.
01:02But in the last two days, we've put a lot of focus on the last three games of the season,
01:06and on a four-game losing streak, Gerard Mayo, what does he need to do to show that he deserves
01:11to be here next season?
01:12Shyam, I don't know where you fall when it comes to Gerard Mayo.
01:15I know that you said you think he's been coaching soft, he's been coaching scared, a few different
01:20adjectives you've used to describe him, but do you want him gone for next season?
01:25I mean, for the right option, right?
01:28Like if you're telling me Mike Vrabel's your next head coach, then yeah, sure, I'd probably
01:32like to move on from him.
01:33I don't think they will, though, so I think it's kind of pointless for me to wish-cast
01:37who I would want as the Patriots head coach, because I don't think he's going anywhere.
01:39And I think Alex Van Pelt is clearly not going anywhere either, because if he felt like his
01:44job was in jeopardy at all, he would be doing everything he can to win football games to
01:48make sure his job isn't in jeopardy.
01:49And by not doing that, it tells me he feels very secure in his spot as offensive coordinator.
01:54I don't think he has any belief that he's going to get fired this offseason, and that's
01:58why they're doing everything they can to protect Drake May for next season when they think
02:02they might actually be able to compete a little bit.
02:03Well, and if they don't think that they're getting fired right now, or if those reports
02:07are true that Gerard Mayo's already gotten assurance that his job is okay for year two,
02:14nobody really thinks that they're going to win these last three games.
02:16I mean, you've got the Bills twice, the Chargers once, I don't see them winning any of them.
02:21But that's why if they do win one, it looks even better, right?
02:25Like I think nobody expects them to win.
02:27So if you are able to pull one and miraculously get two out of the three, then it's like,
02:32okay, now we're cooking with something here as we go into the offseason and get ready
02:35for next year.
02:36Well, it's weird because there are like these reports and, well, not reports, but I don't
02:41remember if it was Greg Bedard or if it was Bert Breer that I saw talking about it.
02:49But just that like Mayo is these last three games, he's kind of coaching for his job.
02:56How?
02:57Well, I'm just saying this is like the whispers are, and I don't know if there's audio where
03:03like the whispers are from wherever he's getting these whispers from coming from the building
03:11that the crafts are really looking at these last three games and if they kind of don't
03:19look good and they get their doors blown off in these last three games, then there's a
03:23chance that the crafts might move on from Mayo.
03:27So I don't know how much you believe that.
03:29I just don't know what he can prove in the last three games.
03:32You've got three hard matchups against two teams.
03:35Maybe you lose close ones.
03:36You don't get blown out.
03:38But okay.
03:39So you lose close ones.
03:40You're also losing these games.
03:41I don't know how and I wish that Greg or Curtis were here because I think those two have been
03:46pretty vocal about wanting Gerard Mayo gone.
03:50And so if you want him gone, is there any way in your mind that he could switch it around
03:54in the last three games?
03:55This team's not going to win the game.
03:57But if they play tough and they lose the game by a field goal and they were in the game
04:03and let's just say it was, you know, you know, guy drops a ball or an offensive lineman gets
04:09beat and that's how you lost a football game and Mayo coached the game up good and it was
04:14a good defensive game plan.
04:15It was a good offensive game plan.
04:17You played Buffalo tough.
04:18You played the Chargers tough and you lost those games by say, you know, less than seven
04:24points.
04:25I think that some of the people that might be like, because we had this conversation
04:30yesterday.
04:31It might've been yesterday with Greg when he was like, well, look how the Detroit Lions
04:37and Dan Campbell finished the season where they lost three games.
04:39They won three of their final six games.
04:41That's kind of bogus though.
04:42Cause to start the next season, they started one in six.
04:45Right?
04:46No, I, I, I kinda agree with you, Sean, but I'm just saying from the people that are,
04:51that want to see Mayo gone, if you lose tough games and close games, these last three games,
04:59but they're not even for the most part, they changed the mindset a little bit.
05:01They're not even talking about the actual games.
05:04Like when they want Gerard gone, they're going to these press conferences and things
05:07that Gerard Mayo said and walked back, which I, and I said this yesterday, Sean, I know
05:11you weren't here.
05:12It, to me, it's crazy because two years ago when bill Belichick wasn't saying anything
05:17and I brought up, you know, well, media members or fans are getting sick and tired of how
05:21bill handles press conferences or interviews when they're losing.
05:26And I was told over and over again, I don't care about that.
05:28I don't care about that.
05:29I don't care about what bill says to the media.
05:30I only care about what's going on on the field.
05:32So now Gerard Mayo comes in and all of a sudden, all we care about is what he's saying,
05:37what he's not saying, what he's walking back.
05:39So that's because of a B because he's a first year head coach and people think when he's
05:43doing that, that's a lack of experience.
05:46Greg always brings up leadership.
05:48And if your head coach is, you know, wavering when he speaks after the game and then he
05:55has to walk back things, Greg's point is, how is this guy the right leader for your
06:00football team?
06:01But I think there there's misplaced anger then everybody's angry at Gerard Mayo and
06:05they should be angry at the craftsman, putting a guy who was so green in that position, right?
06:09Like it's not Mayo's fault that he's never done this before and then was given the job.
06:14If you're ever offered a job that you're unqualified for, you're not going to turn it down just
06:17because you're unqualified.
06:19You're going to accept it and try and do it and get better at it and figure it out as
06:23you go, especially because it's such a big pay bump and there's not that many opportunities
06:26for this in the world.
06:28Like there's 32 of these jobs, that's it.
06:30And so I, I think that a lot of people have misplaced anger.
06:35It's like Gerard Mayo's learning on the job as he goes.
06:38He has never done this before at any level.
06:40High school.
06:41Wiggy had more head coaching experience entering this season than Gerard Mayo.
06:45That is a fact.
06:46That's not true though, because Gerard Mayo's been coaching for the last six years.
06:49But he has never been a head coach, Wiggy.
06:51But he's been a position coach, but like a defensive coordinator.
06:54But that's, that is the case for the majority of new head coaches that hire.
07:00I don't disagree.
07:01I'm just saying that like Campbell never had head coaching experience.
07:04He never called me in an interim twice.
07:06Yeah, but that doesn't technically count.
07:08He never, no, he never called plays.
07:10Mike McDaniels never was a head coach.
07:13Didn't call plays when he was in San Francisco.
07:15If Ben Johnson gets hired, guess what?
07:18He's never been a head coach before.
07:19Has he called plays?
07:20Yes.
07:21But that, that doesn't mean anything.
07:23Bobby Schlowick.
07:24Same thing.
07:25Never been a head coach.
07:26He's going to be first year experience learning on the job.
07:30Those guys, unless you're a guy like Vrabel or you're a guy like Harbaugh or you're a
07:34guy like Dan Quinn was hired by the Washington commanders.
07:37Those guys have had head coach experience.
07:39If you're telling me if people go fire Mayo, hire Ben Johnson.
07:45Guess what?
07:46Ben Johnson has never been a head coach in the national football league.
07:50Same way.
07:51Mayo wasn't.
07:52So he's probably going to run into some problems too.
07:54If you're like fire Mayo, hire Vrabel, at least you can say Vrabel has had head coaching
08:00experience.
08:01All right.
08:02Let's hear from Dave.
08:03Dave, good morning.
08:04All right.
08:05Good morning, Courtney.
08:06I got a quick question.
08:07A quick comment.
08:08I was trying to catch Curtis there the other day, cause he keeps saying the same thing
08:12and Wiggy just made my point is Gerard Mayo has been there for five years coaching and
08:18Curtis keeps saying he inherited this roster.
08:20He didn't inherit this roster.
08:22He got hired.
08:23He got hired on February 14th of this year.
08:26He knew what he had.
08:27So going into the game, into the season, he knew what his team was, opportunity to change
08:34it and add to it.
08:35But he didn't.
08:36Well, see, then I would think that that's not a Mayo problem.
08:42Like I wanted to burn some cash.
08:44He said it on our show.
08:45Yeah.
08:46And I think he was promised that I keep going back and I, that's why I asked him that question
08:49two weeks ago where is this first year head coaching experience what you expected?
08:56Have you been given all the tools to be successful?
08:59I think that when he was offered this position, obviously nobody would turn it down, but he
09:04was probably promised, Hey, we're going to open the checkbook.
09:07We're going to give you everything that you need.
09:08We're going to give you the guys that you want.
09:10And that's not what ended up happening.
09:12And I don't understand how Jelani Tavai, who's great on every time we talk to him, he's so
09:18kind, uh, with his time, he he's, he's honest.
09:22But to talk about how it's another good week of practice, I don't think this defense is
09:26going to make any strides in the last three weeks.
09:28Like you keep every single week we've talked about missing tackles.
09:32I don't know how you can look and say that the defense is going to get any better.
09:37I mean, I think that you've got to completely revamp that part of the game.
09:41Oh yeah.
09:42That means you need a new defensive coordinator, but he's going to be the scapegoat this year.
09:46DeMarcus Covington will probably be the one to lose his job and AVP and drawn mail in
09:49my mind are totally safe, but the, the, the, the true blame, if you're really looking at
09:54it is on the crafts, because did they tell Elliot Wolf, like we're not spending money.
10:00Bingo.
10:01And then if they told Elliot Wolf, we're not spending money.
10:03Then Gerard probably is thinking, all right, I know what the roster looks like.
10:08It's not very good, but I'm not going to turn down a head coaching job and know what I'm
10:12inheriting.
10:14But we're going to make some changes and we're going to add to it.
10:18But if the crafts are like, well, we don't want to spend any money and we don't want
10:22to spend at the top of the market, then you're not really adding good pieces to a roster.
10:28That's already, that's not very good.
10:31And this is what happens.
10:33You can first year head coach with that inherits a bad team that inherits inherits a roster.
10:39That's not very good.
10:41This is what you see.
10:42What are they?
10:43Three and eight, three and nine.
10:45What's their record?
10:46Three and 11.
10:47Three and 11.
10:48And they, they tell you to like last off season, they didn't love the players and the prices
10:52tags that were on those players in free agency.
10:54Well, I hate to tell them the offensive line free agents this year are not any, like are
10:59definitely no better and probably worse than they were last year.
11:02Like you could have gotten better guys in free agency last year on the offensive line
11:05than you could this year because the best guy that was going to be a free agent just
11:09resigned on the Denver Broncos on a four year deal.
11:11He was the best left tackle available and he's now off the market.
11:14So I, I mean, I look at the upcoming free agency and it's not any better than it was
11:18last year.
11:19So I do it now.
11:21Are they now going to spend money on guys who are even worse than the guys last year?
11:24That doesn't make sense either.
11:25Well, I think Phil agrees with you in New Hampshire that the crafts may be sabotaged
11:28Mayo.
11:29Here's what, here's Phil.
11:30Morning, Phil.
11:31Good morning.
11:32Yeah.
11:33I mean, I'm to preface, I'm not a Mayo fan, but I will say Gerard Mayo is absolutely sabotage
11:41because we're fielding a team that's $36.7 million under the salary cap.
11:47And you know, if they cared about anything, they would have signed a couple of like Bill
11:53used to just sign a bunch of random guys to plug the holes and you know, he'd spend the
11:57money he'd spend up to the cap, but you knew that he was, you know, making attempts to
12:01fill the roster and, and to, you know, try to win games.
12:04We had two left tackle, two tackles on the free agent market this year, and neither one
12:09of them were cost prohibitive by any stretch of the word.
12:12And they didn't even bother.
12:14They had no, no intention.
12:16I think they were just really a fine cause they know Mayo.
12:20They was just glad to be there.
12:22I'm upset with this team.
12:24I'm upset with ownership.
12:25It's not Elliot Wolfe.
12:26He has a right to checks.
12:27Yeah.
12:29That's the biggest, like, that would be the one thing that I, I would love to sit down
12:34with the crafts and say, okay, what's the reason that you didn't give Elliot Wolfe the
12:42green light on saying, all right, we're going to be aggressive and whether it's free agency
12:46trades, whatever it is, right.
12:48We're going to be aggressive and we're going to spend, we're going to spend money on guys
12:52that we think are top end players, right?
12:54Now you never know what a guy's going to be like what, what they did a few years ago.
12:59And they went out and they spent money on guys that they Nelson Aguilar and, you know,
13:03maybe they're not the right guys, but you're at least you're making an attempt.
13:06I would ask, where was that attempt this year?
13:11And, or why did you say we don't want to do that?
13:14What's the reasoning behind not going after some of the top end talent?
13:21Because you know that you needed help when it came to the roster and you knew that.
13:26Yeah.
13:27It's just all the slings and arrows that used to go directly to bill are now just going
13:30directly to draw it.
13:31And I don't see a big change in this season at all.
13:34And I think when Curtis talks about it, he puts it on bill that it's a bad look for bill.
13:39I think it's a bad look for the crafts.
13:41You know, you change your head coach, you go from the greatest in the, in of all time
13:45to a guy that's on the come up and you add an unbelievable quarterback and you still
13:49sit here and look at all the talent on the team around Drake and you know, Christian
13:54Gonzalez, Christian bar more.
13:56I wouldn't get rid of them, but everybody else, I don't really get how it's on bill.
14:01I mean, bill, did he miss on some of the guys that he drafted?
14:05All right.
14:06Yeah.
14:07I mean, but every, every GM does that.
14:10I don't really know how it's on him.
14:12It's not like bill left you in cap jail.
14:14You had a ton of money to spend in the off season and you chose not to, right.
14:18We know that there was players that were possibly available, you know?
14:24I mean, I don't know.
14:25Maybe if you have Calvin Ridley, is your passing game a little bit better?
14:31Probably so.
14:32But you chose not to go in that direction or, you know, he chose another option because
14:36maybe you didn't give him more money.
14:39You did try to go after Brandon Iuke.
14:41He chose to go back to, um, Sam friend.
14:46Okay.
14:47If that doesn't work, let's see if there's somebody else we can, you know, go after that
14:51might be of, uh, of higher value or that is more productive.
14:56I mean, that's what you're going to look at this year is, and this, it was a cool little
15:00thing that I did on, uh, Kiefen Jones, Jones and Kiefen, like I would ask both of you,
15:06you know, and I kind of, we did a little bit yesterday, but you know, what would you do?
15:11You got 60 seconds.
15:12What would you do to change this team moving forward?
15:15And I think when you look at next year, isn't it?
15:19You just have to be super aggressive and whether it's the trade market, whether it's
15:25free agent talent, but acquiring top end talent, that to me is the biggest thing is acquiring
15:32top end proven talent where you feel comfortable saying, all right, like, Oh, my expectations
15:38that this guy is going to be a very, very good player, not like, you know, what kind
15:44of role?
15:45Got John O. Smith.
15:46I was like, all right, it's a good move, but is it, you know, is he gonna do anything versus
15:53getting bringing in a guy that, you know, has put up legitimate numbers?