Bill Belichick makes feelings known on state of Patriots, HC Jerod Mayo, as franchise languishes at 3-10 record

All eyes were on Bill Belichick this week as the legendary coach ended his pursuit of an NFL job and took up the reins at the University of North Carolina. Belichick, who was 14 wins shy of Don Shula's record of the winningest coach in the National Football League, now turns his attention away from the big league with more than enough time to focus on setting up the UNC program.

However, he hasn't turned his attention completely away from the Patriots. On the latest episode of Omaha Productions' Coach with Bill Belichick podcast, the former NFL coach said about the state of his beloved Patriots:

"Yeah they're in the bottom half of almost every defensive category and so that's its own issue, and then the kicking's been inconsistent as well—both punting and kicking.

"Where (Drake) Maye is, or isn't, he's certainly a good guy to work with but he's got a lot of work to do too.

"We'll see where the direction of this program goes... with (Eliot) Wolf, with (Jerod) Mayo, or maybe somebody else is a part of this too I don't know."

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NFL Rumors: Bill Belichick's replacement Jerod Mayo coaching for his job

Earlier this week, the Boston Sports Journal reported that if Patriots owner Robert Kraft "comes to the realization he made the wrong choice with Jerod Mayo, he wouldn't hesitate to rectify the situation." That would essentialy mean a parting of ways with the rookie coach.

During an interview with WEEI, Bill Belichick's replacement, Mayo, was pressed for thoughts on his future and was also asked if Kraft had given him assurances that his job was safe.

"My main focus has just been really getting this team ready to play this week,” Mayo said.

When further asked about details of any conversations with Robert Kraft, Mayo responded:

“No no - I’m not gonna get into all of that stuff. Look, here I go again dancing a little bit. But look, my focus is on the guys in this room, the coaches on this staff, and running this game that we have coming up.”

The Patriots are projected to have the most cap space this summer and could also land a top-3 pick given their current record.

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