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It’s time for the Patriots to fire Jerod Mayo and set sights on Mike Vrabel

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It’s time for the Patriots to fire Jerod Mayo and set sights on Mike Vrabel

FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo’s walk back to the locker room was slow. It was an eerie evening here. Foggy, dark, foreboding. Even though his tenure has lasted only 16 games, Mayo’s done this walk several times, the sulked retreat to the locker room after a performance that feels like rock bottom only for a new low to arrive.

But this one feels different. This one really has to be rock bottom. The kind that leads to change.

For weeks, the New England Patriots have signaled to every NFL insider with a cell phone that they really wanted Mayo to return for a second season as head coach. Robert Kraft had made Mayo the handpicked successor to all Bill Belichick built. They knew he’d have learning moments as a first-time head coach. But they really wanted it to work out. Essentially, the message was this: Just don’t make the Patriots an embarrassment, and you’re back for Year 2.

This one, though — Los Angeles Chargers 40, Patriots 7 — leaves no doubt. The Patriots are an embarrassment. They’re 3-13. They haven’t scored 30 or more points in 44 straight games. They’ve surrendered at least that many six times this season alone. They hadn’t lost six in a row since 1993 — now they’ve done it twice this year. For a second straight season, they’re going to finish with a sub-.300 winning percentage, something they haven’t done since they were the AFL’s Boston Patriots.

All of which is to say more simply: It’s time.

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Time for change. Time for Kraft to admit this has all been too much too soon for Mayo and set sights on hiring Mike Vrabel to be the Patriots’ new head coach.

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Kraft’s plan seemed a reasonable one once upon a time. Mayo seemed a natural successor to Belichick. He played for him and was lured into coaching by him. He could take Belichick’s core beliefs and pair them with a more modern approach. It seemed like it had a chance to work. And what a story it would’ve been.

But 16 games in, it’s painfully obvious that Mayo is in over his head. Perhaps it wouldn’t be this simple if the crop of available coaches was a group without any ties to the Patriots who may not even consider a franchise that’s been in the wilderness since Tom Brady left five years ago.

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What should make it an easy decision for Kraft is that the fix is obvious. One of the two best available coaches is a Patriots Hall of Famer, a tough, no-nonsense guy who could both be a bridge to the glory years while yielding optimism about what’s to come in Foxboro. In short, what Mayo was supposed to be.

Another way to look at it is this: The best case is that Mayo turns things around, gets buy-in from players, and with more talent on his roster, yields the kind of culture Vrabel built in Tennessee while getting the most out of his teams. But if that’s the hope, why not just hire Vrabel?


Mike Vrabel is the obvious choice for the Patriots if they move on from Jerod Mayo after one season. (Eric Canha / USA Today)

There’s no guarantee most years that other free-agent coaches would have any interest in the Patriots. But Vrabel would. He could return to the franchise where he became a three-time Super Bowl champion as a driving force of the first dynasty. And, importantly, he has a good relationship with Kraft. The Pats owner wined and dined Vrabel during the Titans’ bye week last year when Vrabel was inducted, rolling out the red carpet as a thank you for all Vrabel meant to the Pats (and maybe as an apology for trading him in 2009), which at the time irked some back in Tennessee watching Vrabel bask in all things Patriots. Even if the Patriots job wouldn’t be all that intriguing to some coaches, that’s not the case with Vrabel.

At this point, what’s the argument for bringing back Mayo? Just that Kraft once saw a lot of promise in him and they owe it to him to give him a chance with a better roster? Is that enough to let Vrabel go elsewhere, then potentially have to make a switch next year if things don’t work out and have to search through a new crop of available coaches who don’t have ties to the Patriots?

That path would mean changes to Mayo’s coaching staff, potentially swapping out his offensive and defensive coordinators. Alex Van Pelt’s offense has been really bad, and somehow DeMarcus Covington’s defense has been even worse. On national TV Saturday, the Chargers had 428 yards to the Patriots’ 181. They had 29 first downs to the Patriots’ 11. They had the ball for more than two-thirds of the game.

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Back at the bye that started this month, the mandate to Mayo and his coaching staff seemed obvious. Just don’t become a trainwreck at the end of the season. Show some improvement here and there even if it doesn’t add up to a bunch of wins.

But in the three games since then, the Patriots have been blown out by the Arizona Cardinals, blew a 14-point lead to the Buffalo Bills and got blown out by the Chargers.

Everything about the latest one was embarrassing. Ladd McConkey, the rookie receiver they didn’t want in the second round, torched them for two touchdowns and 94 yards — outproducing the combined season-long effort from the receivers the Patriots drafted instead (Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker). The defense was gashed and lost its best player (Christian Gonzalez) to injury. The offense stunk and got Drake Maye smoked a few times.

Even the odd parts of this team that don’t really matter are embarrassing, like Mayo telling the broadcast crew before the game that they were going to start Antonio Gibson at running back to send a message to Rhamondre Stevenson … only to then start Stevenson.

“Coach’s decision” was all Mayo could muster three different times when pressed on the move.

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At this point, he’s a coach without answers. Maybe if he had another year to be a mentee under Belichick this could’ve worked out. Or maybe if Eliot Wolf’s draft class hadn’t been a total disaster outside of Maye then Mayo could yield more production with a better roster.

Instead, Gillette Stadium was dotted by empty seats Saturday, an uncomfortable reminder of where they’re at.

Kraft invited Maye’s family to watch the game from his suite high above the 50-yard line. It’s obvious the Patriots feel they have their franchise quarterback. They owe it to him to surround him with better players — and, based on the last 16 games, better coaches.

The hope was that Mayo would get better as the season went on and he learned the ropes of a new job. His team would reflect that improvement.

Instead, the Patriots found a new rock bottom on an afternoon when an uncomfortable reality set in. It’s time to make another change at head coach.

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(Top photo: Kathryn Riley / Getty Images)

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.

While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.

The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”

Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”

Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.

“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”

Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.

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After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town

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After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town

It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.

“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.

He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.

“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.

Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.

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(Randy Rosenbloom)

John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.

“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”

He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.

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Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.

Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.

(Randy Rosenbloom)

He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.

Nothing was too small or too big for him.

“I loved everything,” he said.

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He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.

Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.

“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”

Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?

“I stayed calm,” he said.

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Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”

Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.

“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.

Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.

He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.

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He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.

One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.

He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.

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Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42

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Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42

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Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.

Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.

Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.

Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.

Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.

WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’

AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.

Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.

Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.

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