Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Patriots are the worst team in the NFL for total defense.
I know, I know.
But would you believe Jerod Mayo if he told you he doesn't lose sleep over those 409.8 yards surrendered per game? That's what he told Tom Curran during the pair's weekly Quick Slants interview.
"At the end of the day it's all about wins and losses," he said. "The key stat for us is points per game. That's the biggest thing that we go after.
One reason Mayo might not just be blustering? There's a defensive statistic that's actually looking up, and that's red zone touchdowns allowed. The Patriots are ranked fourth in that category, holding offenses without a score on more than 22-percent of trips within the 20.
"Obviously, keeping the opponent out of the end zone is always going to work in our favor -- and on third down. We always try to be good on third down and we've done that the last couple weeks," he said.
Ever the (succinct) captain, that Mayo.
New England Patriots
But he did go off-script when Curran asked about the Pro Bowl. After giving a nod to the hard work of cornerback -- and NFL interceptions leader -- Kyle Arrington, Mayo admitted he hopes to join his teammate at the Aloha Stadium all-star game.
Then he thought about it for a second.
"Cut that! We're going to the Super Bowl! Cut that one out. Cut that out," Mayo said. "Neither one of us is going to Honolulu. We're trying to win "
Uh-oh. Really dare he move off of Belichick's philosophical island and over to Rex Ryan's?
No.
"Nope, matter of fact. Cut all that out One game at a time."