Black Monday has kicked off before the stroke of midnight.
Whoever tried to fill the enormous shoes of Bill Belichick, who is regarded as the best coach of all-time, was going to be pulling their hair out and have a nearly impossible task.
Beyond Belichick’s six Super Bowl wins with the New England Patriots, his head-scratching personnel moves in the draft and free agency in his final few Patriots seasons left the franchise with the cupboard bare. The next head coach was going to likely lose a lot of games on a organization that got spoiled with winning.
Jerod Mayo was in a lose-lose situation, and it was not a shocker to anyone when he missed the mark with a 4-13 record, fourth-worst in the NFL. However, it was a bit of a stunner that his tenure was so short, lasting only a single season.
Mayo was handed his walking papers Sunday after one season coaching the Patriots.
“For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he conducted himself in our community. When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
“Since buying the team, I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public asset. We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that. I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time.”
Embed from Getty Images“I am grateful for Jerod’s many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success. I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future.”
Belichick lasted nearly a quarter of a century, 24 seasons in Foxborough and Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker and then assistant coach under Belichick, did not last two. His final act as New England head coach was beating the second-string Buffalo Bills in Week 18, to lose out on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Patriots started Mayo’s first season well, with a shocking 16-10 win at the Cincinnati Bengals. Early in the season an outmanned team was competitive. There were not many wins to show for it but that was to be expected. The Patriots turned to rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the third pick of the draft out of the University of North Carolina, and he played pretty well considering the circumstances.
But as the losses continued to mount week after week, there was more outward criticism of Mayo’s coaching and speculation that he might get the axe at the conclusion of his first season. There was a report late in the season used as a vote of confidence that Mayo was did not have anything to worry about as far as his job status, barring an epic collapse, but a 40-7 loss last Saturday to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 that dropped New England to 3-13 did not help matters at all.
The Patriots will still have a depleted roster for the next head coach, but at least Maye offers some light at the end of the tunnel and hope for a quick turnaround. Mayo was not given the chance to see if he could be the one to turn things around.
The Patriots have not won a playoff game since their 13-3 victory over Jerod Goff and the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019.
Robert Kraft, along with his son Jonathan, will now have to hire his fourth head coach of his 31-year tenure as Patriots team owner. Pete Carroll was good, not great. Belichick knocked it out of the park and was perhaps the biggest home run in NFL history. Mayo has struck out and is done after one season.
Who might he target? Former Patriots linebacker and established NFL head coach Mike Vrabel is a name that is floating out there, according to Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson.
