Bill Simmons Points Out Fatal Flaw Of Patriots Coach Jerod Mayo

One of the clear differences between Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo is their relationships with the media, but the current New England Patriots head coach is quickly learning how difficult that dynamic is to manage.

Drake Maye shined again in the Patriots’ preseason road loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday. However, the offensive line continued to plague any more potential progress from the rookie. The unit also got Jacoby Brissett hurt, and Mayo criticized the group last Thursday.

Mayo preached competition throughout the offseason hinting that the best players would play Week 1. Yet despite claiming Maye “outplayed” Brissett, the veteran seems likely to be the starter. It’s a weird back-and-forth game that frustrated Bill Simmons.

“Mayo doesn’t seem to understand how press conferences work,” Simmons posted on X on Monday. “There’s ZERO upside to actually admitting out loud that Maye has outplayed Brissett so far. So now what? You’re gonna start a rookie QB in Week 1 behind the worst Pats O-Line since the (Jim) Plunkett era? Franchise is a mess.”

New England faces a tough dilemma. Maye has displayed superior upside than Brissett, but throwing a rookie out in front of an inept offensive line could hinder his development. It’s a problem Mayo created for himself, and it highlighted the growing pains of a new head coach dealing with a new-found spotlight.

Mayo and the rest of the Patriots staff will have two weeks to come up with a quick solution before the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.