Bill Belichick, Tom Brady expand on Jerod Mayo calling Patriots 'soft'

After first-year New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo attempted to clarify what he meant when he said after this past Sunday's 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that he felt New England was "a soft football team," former Patriots coach Bill Belichick made it known he took issue with Mayo's original comments. 

During the latest edition of SiriusXM's "Let's Go!" show and podcast, which was released Monday evening, Belichick and former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady further discussed Mayo's statements. 

"I think when you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn’t always go over well," Belichick said, as shared by Hayden Bird of Boston.com. "Now, every coach has their own style and maybe sometimes that can be effective and all, but ultimately I always felt like when a team played bad, that was my responsibility, too. ...So I think it’s always best to kind of take a look at yourself and do what you can do to help the team. And then, you know, if you have constructive criticism as a coach, that’s your job." 

Mayo played under Belichick from 2008 through the 2015 season and later joined the legend's staff as inside linebackers coach in 2019. In his first year serving as Belichick's replacement, Mayo's side fell to 1-3 before it was rumored earlier this month that the New England locker room was "teetering on mutiny" as veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett struggled while playing over promising rookie Drake Maye.  

Maye lost his first two starts as the Patriots dropped to 1-6. 

Cornerback Jonathan Jones acknowledged on Monday afternoon that he didn't think the Patriots had "any space to call ourselves a tough team based off" the 16-point defeat against Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Brady mentioned during the "Let's Go!" episode that Belichick taught him that toughness in the NFL "was about stopping the run and running the football and covering kicks." 

The Jaguars returned a punt for a touchdown and rushed for 171 yards against New England at Wembley Stadium in London. 

"The teams that are tough, to me a statistical thing as well, just look at the teams that run the ball well and that stop the run. And I think that’s the answer that you’re looking for," Brady added. 

Mayo somewhat controversially suggested last week that Belichick was directly responsible for New England's roster lacking talent on offense and defense this fall. It seems those two individuals could have plenty to say about each other over the next several months, especially if the Patriots lose most of their games between this Sunday's matchup versus the 2-5 New York Jets and Week 18.