There's been a lot of debate in the media and among the fans, especially over the last couple weeks, about the job security of New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Should the Patriots go into the 2025 campaign with the same head coach and coordinators, or look to make changes in the offseason?
The topic generates plenty of passionate opinions on both sides, and that conversation isn't likely to subside anytime soon after the Patriots lost their fifth consecutive game Sunday in a 24-21 defeat to the first-place Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
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One person who's clearly not a fan of the Mayo/Van Pelt job security talk is Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
He gave a strong defense of the Patriots coaches during his postgame press conference.
"Just trying to block out that noise. I think the conversations about our coaching staff and stuff like that, it's some B.S., to be quite honest," Maye told reporters. "Coach Mayo, we've got his back. He's coaching us hard. He wants to win, we all want to win. We're all frustrated.
"AVP I feel like has been calling great (plays) past (few) weeks, we're just (a few) plays away. ... I think it's a testament to these guys that we keep fighting. We're not going to make the playoffs, we're out of the race, and these guys are coming in and they're frustrated when we don't score. They've got energy at practice and they've got energy coming into the game. We want to win. There's guys who aren't playing who are yelling on the sidelines and wanting to win.
"I think we're building something good, building something that feels right here. I'm proud to be a Patriot."
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This was the second time in the past week that Maye defended Mayo and Van Pelt.
When asked about Mayo on Wednesday, Maye said, "As players, we're behind him and we're backing him. We trust the plan he's got for us and we trust what he says in the team meeting rooms and all the little sayings that he has. We believe in it and we're bought into it. I think the results are coming. I think they're coming. Everyone wishes they were now. We're striving for that, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. The winning is coming in the near future."
The Patriots have the second-worst record in the league at 3-12, and if they don't win another game, they'll finish with a worse record than last season's 4-13. The last time the Patriots won four or fewer games in back-to-back seasons was 1967 through 1970.
The on-field performance this season hasn't been good enough. There's no denying it. But at the same time, this roster is horrible -- maybe even the worst in the league. It's hard to imagine any coach in pro football winning more than four or five games with this roster. There are massive weaknesses at key positions such as left tackle, wide receiver, edge rusher and cornerback.
The coaching staff deserves plenty of blame for what's happened this season. But unless the Patriots make significant roster improvements, the losing will continue into 2025, regardless of who is on staff.