Mayo gives strange answer to question about Patriots play after loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots have a starting quarterback in Drake Maye who stands at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, so why not call runs more designed for him, especially in important short situations distance ?
It was confusing to see the Patriots not take advantage of Maye’s size and strength to run the football in their game. 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s Week 15 game at State Farm Stadium.
There was one sequence in particular where Maye could have gained a crucial yard to keep a drive alive.
The Patriots trailed the Cardinals 16-3 with 5:46 left in the third quarter and faced a third-and-1 at the Arizona 4-yard line. Antonio Gibson ran up the middle for no gain on third down, then Rhamondre Stevenson ran up the middle for no gain on fourth down. The turnover on downs gave the ball back to the Cardinals.
This was a huge missed opportunity and essentially sealed the fate of the Patriots. The Cardinals then scored two more touchdowns, putting the game out of reach.
“It was disappointing,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said after the game when asked about the two short-yardage misses near the goal line. “I said this, probably the first week of the season, and that is there comes a point in a football team where everyone in the stadium knows what the play is, and we just have to move the bodies . We couldn’t do it.”
NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry also asked Mayo if he considered running the ball with Maye in those key short-yardage situations, and his response was both short and bizarre.
“You said it, I didn’t,” Mayo replied.
Whether it’s a sneak or another designed run, there’s no doubt that Maye is capable of gaining dozens of yards in these situations. Mayo was asked if it was his decision or offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s decision not to run with Maye on those plays.
“It’s still my decision,” Mayo said. “The quarterback, obviously, has a good pair of legs and does a good job running the football, we just chose not to do it there.”
Would Maye be comfortable playing a sneak QB in these third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 scenarios?
“Yeah, that’s a good point. I was a good quarterback in college,” Maye said after the game. “I’m a big guy. I’m heavier than people think. So I think maybe there’s a conversation about that. I think it’s hard to stop a 6-foot guy 5 inches by one meter.
“But at the same time, Rhamondre is also very good at gaining a yard. It’s just a shame that that happened. But there’s definitely a time and place for that.”
Third down has been a problem for the Patriots offense all season, and not just on short yardage plays. The Patriots entered Week 15 ranked 25th with a third-down conversion rate at 35.4 percent, and that number will drop after going 0 for 6 on third down against the Cardinals.
The Patriots need to turn things around on third down and short yardage. They are far too predictable in these situations. Putting the ball in Maye’s hands as a runner would be an adjustment worth trying over the final three games.
