Jerod Mayo Chose Playing Cards Over Watching Film

As New England gains insight into the behind-the-scenes team dynamics of this season’s Patriots, it’s becoming clear that head coach Jerod Mayo made both football and management mistakes.

One widely discussed issue is Mayo’s decision to leave rookie quarterback Drake Maye in too long during meaningless games. Fans feared that exposing Maye to unnecessary risks could lead to injury—and those fears nearly materialized. In a blowout Week 16 loss to the Chargers, Maye came dangerously close to suffering a concussion and injuring his hand.

Beyond these on-field decisions, however, Mayo appears to have made puzzling missteps in managing his players. For weeks, rumors have circulated that Mayo had "lost" the locker room.

A Boston.com article yesterday quoted a veteran player who claimed Mayo lost the locker room as early as the spring—well before training camp even began. The most damning quote from the article stated, “Felt like he—they—were making it up as they went along.” That’s a tough critique for any head coach to hear, especially from a seasoned player.

Adding to the criticism, a Chad Graff story from the Athletic, parts of which were published on SI.com alleges that Mayo chose to play cards on the flight home from an ugly loss in Arizona rather than reviewing game film with his coaching staff.

While some might chalk this up as Mayo’s attempt to bond with his players, there's a different perspective. Under Coach Belichick, that type of player/coach bonding would likely take a backseat to accountability—especially after a bad loss. The "Belichick way" would have been to dive into game film immediately and reserve bonding for a post-Super Bowl celebration.

Let the Vrabel watch begin in Foxboro.