Bill Belichick Pushes Back on Patriots HC Jerod Mayo Calling Players 'Soft'

After the New England Patriots lost 32-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, their sixth straight loss of the season, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo called his players "soft." The Patriots fell in London to a Jaguars team that was only 1-5 entering Sunday's game.

"Look, we are a soft football team across the board," Mayo told reporters after the loss, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. "We talk about what makes a tough football team, that's being able to run the football, that's being able to stop the run, and that's being able to cover kicks. We did none of those today."

Mayo appeared to backtrack some of his comments on Monday, saying that the team isn't soft but that they are playing soft.

"We don't have a soft football team. We're playing soft. We went out there and played soft. We're playing soft at the moment," Mayo said. "Do I think we have the guys in there that can turn the ship around? 100 percent. But that comes through hard work."

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 05: Bill Belichick, former NFL coach, looks on during the game between the Washington Huskies and the Michigan Wolverines at Husky Stadium on October 05, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Former Patriots... Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Bill Belichick, who coached the Patriots last year before parting ways with the franchise he led to six Super Bowl victories, stuck up for the players on the team during his weekly appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show."

"Defensively, the Patriots led the league in rushing defense last year, yards per carry, No. 1 in the league, and this year they're way down in the 20s somewhere. It's the same guys," Belichick said.

"It's a lot of the same players, and in some cases I would say more, so I'm kind of hurt for those guys, because to call them soft?" Belichick said. "They're not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. Those guys went out there and did it even though we couldn't score many points offensively. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because those guys, that's a tough group... Those guys are all tough players."

During the 2023 season, the Patriots did feature one of the best defenses in the league despite finishing the year with a 4-13 record. Their defense finished seventh in total yards allowed per game, 11th in passing yards allowed per game, and fourth in rushing yards allowed per game. On Sunday, a once-strong rushing defense allowed 171 yards on the ground to the Jaguars, including 118 to Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby.

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Despite Mayo's comments, the Patriots are now 1-6. They may not be a soft team, but they need to figure things out quickly — otherwise, they will be picking high in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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