It's no secret Robert Kraft is a big fan of Jerod Mayo. But the New England Patriots owner is an even bigger fan of seeing results on the field -- and that means having some difficult conversations with his new head coach if he's not seeing those results.
Jerod Mayo, whom Kraft installed in January to succeed coaching legend Bill Belichick, has had a rocky first season as head coach; his team owns a 3-10 record entering its bye week, and Mayo has dealt with both internal and external criticism throughout the year.
How have those ups and downs affected his close relationship with Robert Kraft -- Mayo affectionately referred to his boss as "Thundercat" in his introductory press conference -- and team president Jonathan Kraft? Mayo explained during an exclusive interview with our Tom E. Curran on a new Patriots Talk Podcast.
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🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Exclusive interview: Jerod Mayo sits down to discuss first season as Patriots head coach | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"We speak all the time," Mayo said of the Krafts. "Even outside of football, they have other businesses. All this stuff is about relationships. Coaching is about relationships, business is about relationships. And they've been an open book as far as, if I have a question on managing processes or leading people, they have been very open and honest with me on some of those things, and it's going to make me a better coach going forward."
That open dialogue includes conversations after games -- most of which have been losses this season. Mayo admitted that he and the Krafts will "debrief" after each game, and that ownership occasionally will ask about in-game decisions he and the team made.
"We always debrief the games," Mayo said. "They're very -- they just want to know at least my thought process. And they absolutely, just like the fans, sometimes don't agree with the way that the game is going. Obviously when you lose games, the questions are plentiful (and) very pointed.
"Again, though, as the head coach, I have to be able to answer those questions. And my job is not only to protect the coaches, but also protect the players. And that's why I try to take 100 percent accountability."
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It's not surprising the Krafts have plenty of questions for Mayo after watching their team lose 10 of its first 13 games. From the players to the coaching staff to the front office, every level of this organization deserves scrutiny based on how this team has performed to date.
As Phil Perry and Albert Breer both have reported on NBC Sports Boston, however, Mayo is on stable footing to return in 2025, with the Krafts understanding the Patriots' rebuild will take time and that their head coach could use more on-field talent. As Mayo revealed, though, the Krafts are paying very close attention to the results on the field and will be expecting significant improvement next season.
Also in this episode:
- Has the job been harder than Mayo expected it to be?
- Has the media scrutiny been tough to deal with?
- Rapid fire questions for Mayo