Bill Belichick delivered a scathing assessment of the New England Patriots as his former team continued to struggle under Jerod Mayo.
New England fell to 1-3 with a 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, as the Patriots compiled just 216 total yards and had quarterback Jacoby Brissett sacked six times.
Belichick spent 24 seasons at the helm in New England, winning six Super Bowls, before leaving earlier this year after a dismal 2023 season.
Mayo worked under Belichick for several years before being named his successor.
The Patriots drafted quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick of the 2024 draft and the pressure is on for the new head coach to use the former North Carolina star.
Bill Belichick delivered a brutal assessment of the Patriots as his former team continued to struggle
Jerod Mayo worked under Belichick for several years before being named his successor
But Mayo recently emphasized that Brissett’s “toughness, reliability and leadership style” “is what we need right now.”
Belichick was scathing in his assessment of the New England strategy, but said Monday on the Pat McAfee show, “I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what the plan is.
He added: “If Mayo says he has a plan then I think he has one and we’ll have to wait and see what it is.
‘I don’t know, but I would say there are some problems. One is, they can’t move the ball and they can’t score.
“They got a 63-yard field goal and then a touchdown on a fumbled kickoff. But other than that, they have trouble moving the ball.”
The new head coach is under pressure to bring in former North Carolina star Drake Maye
Belichick also pointed to issues on the other side of the ball against San Francisco, adding, “TThe amount of time Purdy (49ers quarterback Brock) had to throw was quite high.
“I have to think that – in terms of the amount of time before the ball was released – it had to be the highest in the league, or close to it.
“So I think there’s some issues with the pass rush. There are scoring issues and Joey Slye was a great addition for them.
“They have a good kicker and that’s a big upgrade from last year, but I would say there are some other things that need to be worked out.”