Changes needed at the top?
I wanted to use the Patriots bye week to discuss something that a lot of Pats nation is discussing right now.
Should the Pats make a change at any of the key coaching spots?
What I am going to to write here are my thoughts on how the Patriots coaches have fared so far, and whether a change needs to be made.
Should Jerod Mayo Be Safe?
The NFL head coach role can typically be split into one of two categories.
There are the CEO/culture builders like Dan Campbell or Mike Tomlin, and then you have the schematic genius types – like Kyle Shanahan or Mike Macdonald.
Jerod Mayo is a CEO type of head coach. His intellect on one side of the ball does not provide a schematic advantage, so his role is more about building a winning culture in the locker room, and hiring good coordinators to run both sides of the ball.
Do I think that the Patriots should have hired that style of head coach? Personally, no.
However, they did, and so we need to let Mayo do his thing and build the team and culture he is aiming for.
That is not achievable in one season, so to cut and run so soon is a mistake, in my opinion. Especially given the talent poor roster he inherited from his predecessor.
This team is still one that Belichick built, and it needs time to become Mayo’s.
As mentioned above, when you yourself do not provide a schematic advantage, your coordinator hires are key.
Both coordinators have their respective units ranking 31st in both offensive and defensive DVOA.
However, despite that, I feel quite differently about each of their job securities.
Will the coordinators take the fall?
I will preface this with saying that I do not think either will be fired, but if either one is in jeopardy, I do not think it is Alex van Pelt.
In fact, I implore Robert Kraft, please do not fire ‘AVP’.
Cycling through offensive coordinators is a sure-fire way to stunt a young quarterback’s confidence, look no further than Mac Jones, so I am very keen to avoid repeating that mistake.
Drake Maye’s development is looking very promising, and I really do not want to sweep the legs out from under him by forcing him to learn a new system and playbook.
On the other hand, the way the defense is struggling has me more concerned than the offense.
The Pats defense is losing because of miscommunications and blown assignments, which to me suggests that players are ill-prepared.
The Belichick defenses of old were always perfectly prepared for each and every game, but this seems to be a huge issue for the Pats under DeMarcus Covington.
Unless this gets sured up in the final weeks of the season, I would not be surprised if Covington is no longer on the Patriots sidelines in 2025.
