Jerod Mayo backtracks again, says controversial comment after loss to Cardinals was a "defensive response"

FOXBORO -- New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo spent another Monday morning walking back something he said after a Sunday loss. This time around, Mayo clarified that he was not calling out offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt for the team's play-calling after a Week 15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Mayo's postgame comments following the team's 30-17 defeat in Glendale, Arizona turned a lot of heads, as they came off extremely critical of the offensive play-calling after the Patriots couldn't gain a yard on a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 at the Arizona 4-yard line.  The Patriots ran Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson on those two plays, respectively, and both running backs were stuffed at the line. 

When asked why quarterback Drake Maye didn't get a carry in that situation, Mayo responded with, "You said it, I didn't."

Mayo later tried to clarify that all decisions are made by him, but the damage had already been done. It certainly came off as Mayo throwing Van Pelt under the bus, and the head coach was doing more damage control on Monday morning.

Mayo says he didn't mean anything with his "You said it" comment

In his Monday morning video conference call with Patriots reporters, Mayo said that his comment was a "defensive response" and not a shot at Van Pelt or his offensive coaching staff.

"I know there's a lot of chatter about the question last night, 'You said that.' I didn't mean anything by that," said Mayo. "It was more of a defensive response and, ultimately, I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question. Because ultimately all of those decisions are mine. So just wanted to get that out there."

Mayo said that he didn't want to go down the What If "rabbit hole" after the game, and was hoping his "You said it" comment would end the questioning. Instead, it made everything much worse for his 3-11 football team. 

Mayo says he's spoken with Alex Van Pelt to clear the air

Mayo was adamant that he was not throwing Van Pelt under the bus, and said during his weekly appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show that he has spoken with his offensive coordinator to make sure he didn't take that comment the wrong way. 

"I spoke to him this morning because I didn't think about it being a big story today. I spoke to him today and he was like, 'What are you talking about,'" said Mayo.

Mayo added that he and Van Pelt are "100 percent on the same page, and I back Alex 100 percent."

As for his "You said that comment, Mayo admitted that he "shouldn't have said that."

"Maybe a flippant response and I tried to clarify it with my next question," Mayo told WEEI. "Ultimately it's my decision. All of those decisions -- offense, defense, special teams -- they fall on me."

Maye has shown that he can do things with his legs, averaging 8.5 yards on his 42 carries. He picked up 14 yards on his four rushes on Sunday, including a five-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

So why not call for a Maye sneak on either third or fourth down?

"We just tried to do what we though was best for the team," said Mayo. "He can quarterback sneak, and again, it's on me."

Mayo said that not calling for a Maye sneak wasn't the team's way of protecting the 22-year-old rookie, who suffered a concussion after a long run against the New York Jets back in Week 8. 

But the Patriots clearly should have called for a QB sneak, and Mayo should have overridden Van Pelt if that wasn't what the OC called for. But none of that happened, and the Patriots went on to lose their fourth straight contest. 

While Maye continues to impress, the rest of the team has regressed throughout the season. That includes the New England coaching staff, and Mayo is only making things worse as he continues to step in it at the podium.

In:
• NFL
• New England Patriots