Patriots' Jerod Mayo 'didn't mean anything' with playcalling remark - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged he made a mistake in how he answered a question on offensive playcalling after the New England Patriots' 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which could have been interpreted as him being at odds with coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

A key part of the game came when the Patriots were stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Cardinals' 4-yard line in the third quarter. On both plays, the Patriots utilized traditional handoffs on running plays, which led Mayo to be asked whether calling on quarterback Drake Maye to sneak was considered.

«You said it. I didn't,» Mayo answered.

While Mayo later answered that he is responsible for all decisions, his initial remark could have been viewed as a slight on Van Pelt, the first-year playcaller.

Mayo further addressed his comments in his day-after-game video conference Monday.

«I didn't mean anything by that,» Mayo said. «It was more of a defensive response. I tried to clarify that with the follow-up question [Sunday], because ultimately all those decisions are mine.… I didn't want to go down that whole rabbit hole trying to explain all those things.»

Mayo also said in his weekly radio interview on sports radio WEEI that he «shouldn't have done that. Just like I tell the players, I'm still learning how those things work.»

Mayo has had similar missteps in what has been a rocky initial season with the Patriots, who are 3-11 and sputtering towards the end of the regular season.

Immediately after the Patriots' loss to the Jaguars in London on Oct. 20, Mayo said they were a «soft football team across the board,» before clarifying the next day that they were «playing soft.»

Before that, shortly after he was hired in January,