Jerod Mayo responds to report that Patriots players were laughing in locker room after loss to Dolphins
FOXBORO -- New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was not his usual upbeat self after the team's 34-15 blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. But it doesn't sound like the rest of the Patriots offense took the defeat as hard.
Maye stood at the podium after his one-touchdown, two-turnover showing in Miami, and was a bit down after suffering his fifth loss as New England's starting quarterback.
"It's tough. I've said before, I hate losing more than I like to win," Maye said at the podium. "Losing sucks. I told some of the guys to remember this feeling. Remember this feeling of really getting our butts whooped today. I think it's only up from there. We have a bright future and bright players in there that will make a difference for the Patriots."
But while Maye was talking up the rest of the offense, they were reportedly busy whooping it up in the locker room. Following Sunday's loss, Mark Daniels of Mass Live reported that players on the New England offense didn't seem to be phased by the lopsided loss, and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Just around the corner, it was a different scene with several players on offense smiling and laughing with one another. It was a strange scene for a team that was embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins. Although not everyone was happy – several players were upset – the sounds of light laughter filled the side of the room where offensive players got dressed.
This can be taken one of two ways. Was this just a handful of players trying to keep the spirits high despite being blown out and embarrassed by the Dolphins? Or does this play into the team's lack of focus throughout the game?
Head coach Jerod Mayo isn't buying the laughter in the locker room, pushing back on the report during his Monday morning video conference with reporters.
"I don't question any of that stuff as far as the players taking a butt-kicking like that personally," Mayo said. "Everyone in that locker room, we were down. Now, I'm not sure what that report is, but I'm not going to talk about that. I know the guys were disappointed."
Even if all those yucks were of the self-deprecating variety, filling a locker room with laughter after being crushed by a division foe is not what most people want to hear. It's not something that would have gone unchecked in the New England locker room in years past, and is not a great look for a team that sits at 3-9 on the season.
Will there be repercussions for Patriots' lack of focus vs. Dolphins?
Whether a jovial corner of the locker room is an issue or not, the team's lack of focus throughout Sunday's game is the biggest concern from the loss. And it doesn't seem like there is anywhere for the Patriots to go in order to fix the issue.
The Patriots were hit with 10 penalties on Sunday. Six of those came before the snap, as offensive lineman Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs were both hit with multiple penalties that hurt the operation. Jacobs was eventually benched in the second half.
Usually, players struggling as much as Lowe or Jacobs -- or the many players on the Patriots' defense that failed to play defense on Sunday -- would find themselves on the bench the following week. But the Patriots lack talent everywhere on the roster, so it's not as though Mayo and company can just plug in another player and expect improvement. Most of the guys playing now -- especially on the offensive line -- would be backups (or even practice squad players) on other teams.
During his radio interview on WEEI Monday morning, Mayo was asked if he would be coaching differently if he had legitimate substitutes for the players who are repeating their mistakes.
"That's a fair assessment," he said.
Mayo and his staff deserve a good chunk of the blame for where the team is at right now. But he also wasn't dealt the best hand due to Eliot Wolf's moves in the offseason.
The Patriots appear to have their quarterback of the future in Maye, but they have a lot of work to do everywhere else on the roster in the offseason.
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