Bill Belichick defends himself against Patriots coach Jerod Mayo calling players “soft”: “I'm kind of hurt”

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was blunt about his team being middle of the pack in run defense this year after the team lost for the sixth straight year, this time to the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Mayo called his run defense “soft” after watching another running back assert himself on the ground, with Jaguars backup Tank Bigsby filling in for the injured Travis Etienne Jr., rushing for 118 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns ran far.

There were times during the early game window where the Jaguars simply passed the ball instead of calling passes to Trevor Lawrence.

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New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)

Legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had many of the same people on defense in his final season with New England in 2023, and they were the league's best run defense last year.

Belichick also didn't mince his words when responding to Mayo's “gentle” comment during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday.

“I’m a bit sorry that these guys are soft – they’re not soft. They were the best team in the league against the run last year,” Belichick said. “These guys went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. I feel sorry for the defensive players in this game because they are a tough group.”

PATRIOTS head coach JEROD MAYO calls the team “soft” amid a six-game losing streak

Mayo later clarified that he didn't think the team was soft, but he felt they played that way on Sunday and he said so after the game.

“We’re a soft football team across the board,” Mayo said Sunday. “We talk about what makes a strong football team. That’s the ability to run the ball, stop the run, and that’s the ability to stop kicks, and we didn’t do that today.”

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo looks on during the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field on August 25, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

In the Patriots' running game, the Jaguars held them to just 38 total yards on 15 carries, which is never a recipe for success regardless of the team.

“Last night, after the game, I felt like (we) just went out there and played softly. Right now we’re playing soft,” Mayo said Monday. “When I said we were playing softly, that meant stopping the run, running the ball and covering kicks, which we failed to do. Now when I say that, do I think we have the guys that can turn things around?” “But that comes 100 percent through hard work, hard work on the practice field and getting better every day.”

The Patriots are clearly a team rebuilding, especially given the departure of Belichick after a 4-13 finish last year and the need to further strengthen the roster.

They did this with a new quarterback at No. 3 overall when the Patriots took Drake Maye out of UNC. Maye started the final two weeks after Jacoby Brissett began the year as the starter.

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke to the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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But since shocking the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 1, the Patriots have been looking for another win every week.

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