Bill Belichick has doubled down on his criticism of Jerod Mayo after the Patriots coach called his players ‘soft’.
Mayo, who played and coached under Belichick in New England before replacing the him earlier this year, made the comments following the Patriots’ defeat by the Jaguars in London.
‘We’re a soft football team across the board,’ Mayo said, prompting Belichick to hit back at his successor. ‘I’m kinda hurt for those guys,’ he responded. ‘They are not soft.’
The 72-year-old, who won six Super Bowl crowns during more than two decades in New England, was again asked about Mayo’s comments on the Let’s Go! podcast, which also featured Tom Brady.
Belichick told his former quarterback that coaches should take responsibility for the performances of their players.
Bill Belichick has doubled down on his criticism of Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo
The New England coach branded his players ‘soft’ following their loss against the Jaguars
‘I think when you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn’t always go over well,’ he said.
‘Every coach has their own style and maybe sometimes that can be effective. But ultimately I always felt that when the team played bad, that was my responsibility too.
‘We might have had bad playing but we had bad coaching that led to bad playing. So I think it’s always best to take a look at yourself and do what you can do to help the team.
‘If you have constructive criticism as a coach, that’s your job. But last year the Patriots led the league in rushing defense – yards per carry. No 1 in the league, this year they’re 26th or whatever it is.’
The Patriots are 21sth in the standings, allowing 1.3 more yards per carry this season compared to last.
‘It’s the same players, I don’t think those players on defense are soft but they haven’t stopped the run very well this year.’
‘It’s the same players, I don’t think those players on defense are soft,’ Belichick told Tom Brady
