Patriots Decide to Hold the Mayo: Realistically, He Never Had a Chance.

What is the first image that comes to mind when I mention the following name?

Phil Bengston.

I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of you reading this blog post have never heard that name before. You probably associate a name like Phil Bengston with a stock broker, an attorney, or a mob informant on The Sopranos.

In reality, Phil Bengston was a football coach, and a darn good defensive coordinator, spending several years in that  capacity with the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers.

I mention the name Phil Bengston as an illustration to show that both he and recently fired Patriots coach Jerod Mayo have one very important commonality, they both had to follow in the footsteps of a legend.

You see, in 1968, Phil Bengston was promoted to head coach by the Packers and he was the one who had the unenviable task of following the legendary Vince Lombardi, much like Mayo had to follow in Bill Belichick's vast shadow.

Bengston went 20-21 in three seasons with the Packers, then ironically became the interim coach of the Patriots in 1972. He then faded into obscurity.

Mayo, at 38, is too young to disappear completely. He may well latch on with another NFL or reinvent himself in another capacity.

Three days after his firing two important questions still linger: Why was Mayo hired for a job he was highly unqualified for, and was his firing unfair in light of the circumstances surrounding him?

Jerod Mayo was hired as Patriots coach for two reasons, he had the support of the veterans in the locker room, and more importantly, it was promised in his contract. 

A broken promise could lead to litigation, and that was a risk Robert Kraft was unwilling to take. Forget the fact that Mayo didn't have head coaching experience, forget that he wasn't even a coordinator. Jerod Mayo was a star, a leader, and a person of high moral character. That was enough for Kraft and his brain trust to give Mayo the keys to the kingdom, experience be damned!

After a 4-13 season, characterized by sloppy and undisciplined play, poor communication, and fan apathy. Mayo was quickly shown the door shortly after the Patriots played an inspired but meaningless game in a win over the Bills. 

To blame Jerod Mayo completely for this disaster of a season is both shortsighted and unfair. Much of the blame should go to Elliot Wolfe and Bill Belichick for hamstringing Mayo with a roster predicated on poor drafting and uninspired, nonathletic, and undisciplined castoffs from other teams and making it hard  for him to succeed.

The Krafts should shoulder some blame for being for having a ton of cap space and choosing to be tightfisted cheapskates in refusing to help the front office make the necessary upgrades through free agency.

In truth, Mayo couldn't succeed under those conditions, but going into the season not much was expected from this team anyway. However, Mayo could have fulfilled two short-term goals that would have set him up for future success and endeared him to the media and fans. He failed miserably.

In Sports Illustrated's NFL preview issue, Albert "Bert" Breer contributed a piece on Mayo that illustrated the fact that there was a new sheriff in town and things would be done differently. For example, Mayo positioned the desk in his office closer to the door rather than around the corner as it was under Belichick to foster a need for closer communication. There was also a commitment to step away the total immersion to football within the facility. Families were welcomed inside the facility regularly, and ascetic touches like ping-pong tables and basketball hoops were added to enhance the player's enjoyment.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, although such a mindset requires positive results. A four-win season is hardly a step direction. Plus, Mayo didn't do himself any favors when following an October 20th loss to the Jaguars he labeled his team as "soft" during his post-game press conference. Mayo may have been correct in that assumption, but his inability to make that claim in the privacy of the locker room may have turned a faction of players against him in that he was perceived as untrustworthy. Further incidents in which he subtly threw offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus over his play calling in a sideline interview, and a broken promise to running back Antonio Gibson that he would start in the December 27th game against the Chargers raised suspicions about Mayo's lack of accountability. 

Mayo was not expected to work miracles with the roster he was given, but outside of rookie quarterback Drake Maye and corner Christian Gonzalez there weren't any players that made significant improvements or contributed to the team's success.On offense Wide receivers could not gain separation and dropped too many passes, the running game was inconsistent, and the less said about the leaky turnstile also known as the offensive line the better. On defense, the lack of a pass rush and no speed or play making ability in the secondary were significant red flags. 

In essence, Mayo's inability to provide a sense of optimism for the future and his startling lack of accountability  made his presence an untenable environment for the organization, the players, and the fans.  He had to go.

It is unfortunate that Mayo will likely be viewed as a test case for owners who act upon fear of losing hot young assistants to other teams or a sense of morality even when they know the person they are hiring is under qualified and could possibly be way over their heads by season's end.

In the press release announcing Mayo's firing, Robert Kraft referred to himself as a "Custodian of a public asset." His own realization that the public was angry and that the asset he is in charge of was rapidly depreciating under Mayo's watch caused him to act swiftly and unceremoniously in sealing Mayo's fate.

Kraft took accountability for his mistake in hiring Mayo publicly, but that still doesn't quell any suspicions over his motives. Was it good pr? Accountability? Increased popularity with the fans? Who knows?

What is known is that this organization needs an infusion of talent, a dash of discipline, and a heaping helping of accountability to stem the tide. No magic wand will fix this overnight.

Good luck!

"We're on to North Carlolina!": Bill Belichick Goes to College

Pardon me while I utter a guttural question from my vocal cords.

"Huh?"

Indulge me  while I try to make sense of the bombshell that has swept through college football in the last day.

"Really?"

"Him"?

"Why?"

"How?'

I just can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that an all-time great NFL head coach who is just 15 wins away from breaking the record for all time victories would want to spend his golden years on Tobacco Road teaching some future business leaders the intricacies of the 3-4 defense.

Did I mention that this man does not have a lick of college coaching experience, and his worldview of college football consists of a small idyllic setting at a small Division III school in Middletown Connecticut, or a service academy where young men are being trained for far noble pursuits than football?

But alas, sports often defies logic. Bill Belichick is going back to school, away from the glitz and glamour of the NFL, away from the record book, and away from his gilded cages in the media where he uses his expertise, track record of success, and smug attitude to judge others and tell you how he would have done things differently, and better.

Perhaps most surprising is that Belichick has agreed to become the head football coach at a university not particularly known for college football, The University of North Carolina, whose list of all-time great players consists of Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers, and maybe Drake Maye.

Why would Bill Belichick  even think of coaching at a school where basketball is clearly and undeniably king, and football has long been an afterthought?

While I was investigating the answers to my questions, several theories were floated around. The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported that one NFL team with a coaching vacancy had already ruled out any thought of hiring Belichick  and others with potential vacancies didn't believed there would not be enough support from people within their facilities to make the hire. The same piece went so far as to quote a high-ranking NFL team executive who stated on the record that "Belichick burned a lot of bridges in his career."

Was it true? Had Belichick become persona non Grata in the NFL after just one year?

Perhaps the residue of the Spygate and the Deflategate controversies still linger. Perhaps teams are aware of his age and don't believe he'll be in it for the long haul. Most likely, perhaps teams are very cognizant of his ego, and his need for control  and that it's just too much to take at the present time.

Circling back to the questions of why Belichick would want to coach in college and at UNC, Howe's article points out that Belichick's father Steve was a UNC assistant in the 1960's, and he has plenty of friends among current and former college football coaches like Chip Kelly and Greg Schiano  he can lean on for guidance and support. Maybe the answer lies in a simple truth, he just wants to coach football anywhere.

Now that this is just about a done deal, there are still many potential red flags and questions to consider. Can Belichick's old school style of coaching mesh well with young people whose feelings and values are more respected and tolerated nowadays ? Is Belichick in it for the long haul? Does this hiring represent a pr move, a shot at redemption, or both?  

Whatever the answer may be, you cannot deny that this will be the most intriguing plot of the 2025 college football season.

Just don't expect to see Belichick at a fraternity keg party anytime soon.