Sure the media despised that treatment.
But not because their interests align with the fans.
But because it makes for good copy.
Especially when Mayo says something regrettable.
Something he has to walk back the next day.
Which is pretty much every week at this point.
This one being no exception.
Yesterday:
Today:
Which makes a terrible case for openness and transparency when dealing with the press.
That’s true even if the Krafts have their own questions with the playcalling.
Which clearly they do.
Kraft the Younger can say this because he’s cutting the checks.
We can say it because we’re paying the money that helps those checks clear.
The one person who can’t question his offensive coordinator publicly is Jerod Mayo.
Not because he needs to worry about Alex Van Pelt.
Pro football doesn’t care about your feelings.
But because it’s bad for Jerod Mayo.
NESN, January 29th- The Patriots didn’t even conduct a head coaching search after parting with Bill Belichick.
But the offensive coordinator search is a much different story.
…
[T]he list of reported interviews/planned interviews [is] up to 11.
At least as far as we know.
This is the exact opposite dynamic.
And you’re able to see why.
Because the interview process was weird and “light on football.”
They settled on Van Pelt because he was the Cleveland 5 as the bar was closing.
He in turn, took the offer because no one else was going to ask.
So the least Mayo could do is treat him with some gratitude.
Again, not for AVP’s sake, but for his own.
The perfect apples-to-apples comparison I have is exactly what happened here in 1999.
Essentially,“I’ve done my job.
It’s the coaches' fault we’re losing.
“And in doing so, got himself fired too.
Because even if the Krafts believed in him, he left them with no choice.
Spare me and take him!
“at the first sign of trouble.
Which is precisely what Mayo did with that “You said it” crack.
No matter if he gets all his 10,000 steps in trying to walk it back.
The damage is done, and cannot be undone.
No one outside the walls of the building know that.
But canceling meetings is very much Victory Monday behavior.
And we haven’t seen one of those since Veteran’s Day Weekend.
And I can’t ever remember Belichick canceling press availabilities.
Even though he would’ve loved to.
The media would’ve lost their collective shit if he ever did.
But then again, he never publicly shamed one of his coordinators, either.
So we’re seeing a lot of precedents set this year.
