New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo took accountability for Sunday's blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins.
"It starts with me," he said in his postgame press conference. "I think it starts with me and getting these guys ready to go."
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Mayo's team looked overmatched and underprepared on both sides of the ball. They committed 10 penalties, including seven by the offensive line. Defensively, they allowed Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to do just about whatever he wanted en route to a 34-15 rout.
It's no secret that the 2024 Patriots roster isn't flush with talent. However, performances like Sunday's make it hard to ignore the shortcomings of the coaching staff. New England's lack of discipline and focus resulted in Miami essentially sealing its victory by halftime.
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On the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast, Phil Perry touches on how the Pats coaching staff deserves blame for Sunday's defeat.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Patriots faceplant in Miami signals progress hasn't been made | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"Even though I start with the talent and that being the reason why they lost (Sunday), to me the coaching is right up there with it," Perry said. "Because not only were there penalties, which to me is related to coaching, but for players like Kyle Dugger and Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones, experienced guys after the game in that locker room to be talking about a lack of focus and a lack of communication, that to me comes back to coaching.
"For Davon Godchaux to tell us that they made an adjustment at halftime after they just got walloped 24 nothing in the second quarter, and for him to be openly asking, 'I'm not sure why we didn't do it a little sooner, but I'm glad we did.' That comes back to coaching."
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Curran took the criticism of the coaching staff a step further, noting that there may have to be some noteworthy changes on the defensive side for next season.
"I start with the players based upon what the players say, but then I watched DeMarcus Covington's defense get riddled again and it's been riddled in so many different ways by different quarterbacks," Curran said. "Anybody with any level of competency is having a day. I mean, C.J. Stroud and the Texans sprinted to a lead against them. ...Calvin Ridley had a day, everybody's had a day. On the ground, Jacksonville had a day.
"They can't stop the run, they can't stop the pass, they can't pressure the passer, they can't stay onsides at critical points, they can't keep their hands off receivers. I think that DeMarcus Covington either needs a co-defensive coordinator or they need a new defensive coordinator next year.
"We spend an unbelievable amount of time on (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt and (quarterback) Drake Maye because Drake Maye is the entity that you look at and go, 'That has to be developed.' But they're non-competitive at times defensively, just befuddled."
Also in the episode:
- What was the mood in the locker room after the Miami loss?
- Have the players lost their sense of urgency this season?
