FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo’s predecessor, Bill Belichick, came to the defense of his former players on Monday after the first-year head coach publicly questioned the toughness of his players on Sunday.
After the Patriots lost their sixth straight game to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Mayo told the media, “We’re a soft football team across the board.”
Mayo’s comments came after Jacksonville posted 25 unanswered points on their way to victory, racking up 171 rushing yards and scoring on a 96-yard punt return in a 32-16 trouncing of the Patriots.
“What makes a tough football team? That’s being able to run the ball, that’s being able to stop the run, and that’s being able to cover kicks. We did none of those today,” Mayo said when asked about the defeat.
Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots, disagreed with Mayo’s comments during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Defensively, the Patriots led the league last year in rushing defense, yards per carry, No. 1 in the league. This year they’re way down in the 20s somewhere,” Belichick said. “It’s a lot of the same players.”
Belichick added, “I’m kind of hurt for those guys. To call them soft, 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 that many points offensively. So, I feel bad for the defensive players on that one. That’s a tough group.”
New England’s sixth straight loss marks the team’s longest losing streak since 1993.
The Patriots will look to snap their winning drought when they host the New York Jets on Oct. 27.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW