Mayo being criticized for winning is wrong
Giants owner throws subtle hint at strategy
Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a great start.
Black Monday did not bring about the dramatic head coaching dismissals that were expected, at least as of this writing. Jerod Mayo was fired by New England - less than two hours after the Patriots beat Buffalo on Sunday - and Doug Pederson was dismissed by Jacksonville on Monday. Several coordinators lost their jobs and the Chicago Bears want to interview coach Mike McCarthy, whose contract is about to expire with the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears, Saints and Jets all have interim coaches, who will be replaced.
There is, however, something wrong with a system that leads to a crescendo of criticism at a coach for winning a game. That was the case with Mayo, who was lambasted for coaching the Pats to a win over Buffalo in the season finale. The victory cost the Patriots the number one pick in the 2025 NFL draft, dropping their position from first to fourth. But one Boston columnist wrote, if nothing else, Mayo should have been fired for winning the game. He suggested it was Mayo’s way of sticking it to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Seriously?
There is something wrong, when coaches start getting lambasted for putting their teams in position to win games. What was Mayo supposed to do? Tell his players to drop passes? Miss tackles? Shank kicks? As it is, Mayo yanked highly, promising QB Drake Maye after one series. Meanwhile, Buffalo, already assured of the number two seed in the playoffs and no higher, rested its regulars.
The NFL has an integrity problem, when it comes to its season winding down and I don’t know how they can fix it. What I would suggest is they develop a lottery system for its draft, perhaps involving the teams with the five worst records.
Resting players to prepare them for the playoffs is trickier. Two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City, already with the number one seed locked up, rested its players and got shellacked by Denver, 38-0. The win qualified the Broncos for the playoffs, but cost Cincinnati or Miami a playoff spot. The critic would say had the Bengals defeated the Patriots in the season opener, they would not have been in that position. Still, the league has some issues to address, but whether they sense an urgency is another matter.
Thankfully, some owners still believe in the game’s credibility, including New York Giants owner John Mara, whose lowly team split its last two games. On the question of tanking for a better draft choice, Mara did not mince words:
“If I had thought that we were tanking either one of those games, I would’ve fired everybody,” Mara said. “We are never going to do that in this organization as long as I’m standing on this side of the grass.”
Hopefully Mara will discuss this serious issue at the next owners meeting.
Speaking of Mara
Mara wasted little time in announcing early Monday morning that both GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll would return for a fourth season, despite the club’s horrific 3-14 mark, that included a franchise record 10-game losing streak. Although he listed the team’s number one priority as settling the quarterback issue, he hinted it is not a given the Giants, who pick third, would select a quarterback in the draft. It’s possible, he stated, the team could “acquire a veteran,” but that it would be up to Schoen and Daboll to make that decision.
As for the Giants braintrust gaining a reprieve from ownership? It’s safe to say if the team does not have a winning record next season, their stay with the Giants will be over.
Ready for some golf
As I discussed in a commentary last week, professional golf has some big problems with the continued split between the PGA Tour and LIV. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t golf to watch tonight, if you want a break from football or basketball and hockey are not your thing. The Tomorrow Golf League launches tonight. The brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McElroy is an indoor league, featuring six, four-player teams.
In case you’re wondering, the New York Golf Club will take on the Bay Golf Club from Palm Beach Gardens, FL. ESPN will televise. Ah, yes! Nothing like Opening Day.
That is going to do it for the Tuesday newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and for your support. Expect more content coming to your inbox this week, mostly in podcast/video form. Be well and have a terrific week.
DAN