In the world of American football, there has been a recent exchange of words between current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The subtle, or not so subtle, barbs have caught the attention of many, including former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, who knows both men well. McCourty finds their public squabbling unfortunate, wishing for a resolution to their apparent rift.
“I hate to see the way that when Mayo speaks, it kind of . . . gets turned into, ‘Well he’s kind of taking a shot at Bill.’ Bill speaks, he’s kind of taking a shot at Mayo,” McCourty expressed. “These two — we used to call Jerod, ‘Jerod Belichick.’ We used to say he was like Bill’s long-lost son because of how he was and how similar he was to Bill as a player, so I hate to see the way this has all unfolded that they’re not kind of close and Jerod can’t call up Bill as a former colleague, as a coach, and then as your former head coach. I hate that part of this, so hopefully they work this out and we stop seeing these kind of subtle shots back and forth in the media.”
McCourty also found humor in Belichick’s recent claim on the Pat McAfee Show that he felt bad for players who were called out by Mayo as “soft.” “I’ve never heard Bill say he felt bad or felt hurt for any player, so that kind of was funny to me,” McCourty chuckled. “But it is interesting because they also don’t have Ja’Whaun Bentley, they don’t have Christian Barmore, and I think one of the things that always sticks out to me is Coach Belichick always telling us, ‘Don’t tell me about what you did last year. Each team’s different. Each season’s different.’”
Is there any connection between last year and this year? McCourty considered the question. “Yes, they had a very good run defense last year, the way they performed on defense, and I do agree with him. Individuals on that team when you talk about Jon Jones, Davon Godchaux, Anfernee Jennings, those guys are not soft, but what I learned from playing under Bill Belichick is tough football teams run the ball and they stop the run.”
Semantics may be at play here. “Maybe you don’t want to use the word ‘soft,’” McCourty suggested. “Right now, they’re not a tough football team. They don’t run the ball very well. They’re not stopping the run. So to me, yes, I think even Mayo we heard kind of take back those comments.”
Looking ahead to the Patriots’ upcoming game against the Jets, McCourty believes the team will respond to the call-out. “I think he was emotional after the game saying that the team was soft and I said it Sunday night on Football Night in America. I think whenever you have any comment like that or your team’s not playing at that level, Mayo knows it falls on him and I’m sure this team will attack the Jets Sunday and play better especially defensively because you got called out by your head coach.”
Ultimately, the true test will come on Sunday when the Patriots face the 2-5 Jets. Will they toughen up and prove their critics wrong, or will they give Mayo and others reason to continue questioning their toughness? Only time will tell as the drama continues to unfold in New England football circles.
