Mayo On Struggling Patriots Defense: 'Have To Get Better, Fast'
FOXBORO (CBS) – The New England Patriots defense has come under a lot of scrutiny for giving up big yards, and points, over the first three weeks of the season.
They have allowed nearly 470 yards per game over the first three weeks, putting them dead last in the NFL.
And of course those numbers are inflated after suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, giving the Patriots defense a sense of urgency. At least according to one of their captains.
"We have to get better, fast," said linebacker Jerod Mayo on Thursday. "At the same time, after a win, there are still things you can take out of the game that you can improve on. There are always things to improve on and that's the mindset we have."
Read: Chung Wants To Play, But "Not My Decision"
"Anytime you come off a loss, it's like 'Hey, we have to bounce back,'" he said. "Same thing happened with Cleveland last year. We continued to get better after that and we ran off a good number of games in row. Hopefully that trend continues."
Jerod Mayo: "Numbers Don't Lie"
While most of the yards against the Patriots have come through the air (377 per game to be exact, also dead last in the NFL), Mayo knows it is a team sport, so it is the entire defense that needs to improve.
"I think we have great players on our defense. At the same time, we have to go out and prove it on Sundays," he said. "Up to this point, we really haven't done that. The numbers are what they are. We have to go out and try to change those numbers. No matter how good you think you are, the numbers don't lie."
"It's all about going out there and doing it. Right now we're worried about improving, and going out there and playing better each week," said the struggling Devin McCourty. "Especially when you come off a loss you're hungry to go out there."
"It's all a matter of mindset. One thing about this group of guys is we constantly push ourselves to be the best," said defensive lineman Andre Carter.
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
A big part of getting better will come in the film room, where they can see their mistakes and try to atone for them on the practice field. While watching film of opposing offenses have a field day against them is tough, it is all a necessary step towards improvement.
"Sometimes you can be disappointed in some of the things that we do, but at the same time, you have to go back and watch the film and make corrections," said Mayo. "It's a unit –we're a family on the defensive side of the ball. We just have to get better; we all know that. We're practicing hard."
Tune in to the Patriots-Raiders game Sunday at 4:15 pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Tune in to Patriots Gameday at 11:30am on WBZ-TV and The Sports Hub's pregame coverage, beginning at 1:00 pm. After the game tune in to the Postgame show on 98.5, and to Patriots Fifth Quarter on TV38.
