Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
The New England Patriots have been getting right into a aggressive 7-on-7 drill throughout OTAs on Wednesday, and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo was virtually standing in his outdated place, inside linebacker.
Mayo, in his Patriots-issued blue T-shirt and shorts, stood proper in the midst of his protection whereas it tried to cease quarterback Jacoby Brissett, receiver Tyquan Thornton, tight finish Hunter Henry & Co. It was a very good vantage level for the coach — albeit unorthodox.
If Invoice Belichick ever stood there, I wasn’t on the follow to witness it. He spent most of his time watching from behind the protection or from the sideline — and sometimes at an deliberately excessive distance. However Belichick by no means performed inside linebacker on the NFL stage. So it makes all of the sense on this planet that Mayo may really feel extra comfy in the midst of every part, as he as soon as was as a participant.
It marks one of many refined variations growing between Belichick and Mayo.
Mayo has been cautious to not throw the newborn out with the bathwater. Belichick received six Tremendous Bowls, in spite of everything. Mayo performed his whole eight-year NFL profession for Belichick after which labored below him as a Patriots assistant. There’s quite a bit that Belichick taught Mayo — about soccer and about teaching — that may assist New England succeed on this new period. However we have seen again and again that nobody has succeeded by imitating Belichick. Take a look at Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, Joe Decide, Invoice O’Brien, Romeo Crennel and so many others.
Mayo is trying to do one thing somewhat totally different: Re-create Belichick’s success with out re-creating Belichick.
How does Mayo keep true to himself?
“That is me,” Mayo stated Wednesday earlier than follow. “I do change. I’m nonetheless evolving. I am evolving as a head coach. This is not the ultimate type of Jerod Mayo, the top coach. I’ve solely been doing this now for a pair months, so we’ll see how it’s going ahead. However on the core, I’m a father, I’m a husband, and I’m a Christian. That is my core, and so these issues will not change.
“Among the philosophy issues although … I’m nonetheless type of getting these so as. And I feel it is essential that you simply discuss to different coaches across the league. You guys know Tony Dungy was right here. It was nice having him right here and simply having these discussions outdoors of this silo, and it has been good.”
Oh? Tony Dungy — just like the Patriots’ longtime rival?
“I’ve all the time been a fan of Tony Dungy, though the Patriots and the Colts have somewhat historical past,” Mayo stated.
That is placing it frivolously.
“However from afar, [he’s] only a man who has received video games, like massive video games as a championship-level coach. He does it the proper manner,” Mayo stated. “It isn’t by means of cussing individuals out or something like that — which works, I suppose, with some groups as effectively — but it surely’s by means of growing women and men. I type of need to mirror that.”
Mayo is happy-go-lucky. Belichick is … not that. So whereas Mayo may borrow a few of Belichick’s instruments, the brand new Patriots coach is smart to hunt out mentorship from coaches who’re decidedly not like Belichick. Like Dungy.
And it is essential that Mayo succeeds instantly.
The expectations for the Patriots offense could be grim, however for the protection? Nicely, people predict New England to have one of many league’s greatest once more. Whereas Belichick’s offense ended up getting him fired, his protection nearly by no means buckled. It was very, very good till the coach’s bitter finish in New England. And it is not precisely a protection of family names. Sure, there’s Matthew Judon. Previous, him? Security Kyle Dugger, linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley and Josh Uche and defensive deal with Christian Barmore are the largest skills.
It’s going to take robust work from the employees to get probably the most out of this unit, which is able to rely closely upon that core together with second-year gamers Christian Gonzalez, Keion White and Marte Mapu — and some gamers who have not been studs in any protection aside from Belichick’s (Jahlani Tavai, Jabrill Peppers).
New England’s employees misplaced not solely Invoice Belichick but additionally his son, Steve, who was the de-facto co-coordinator alongside Mayo. DeMarcus Covington has taken on the defensive coordinator function, a title he is by no means held earlier than. And he isn’t the one man attempting out a brand new function. Former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is taking up teaching for the primary time. He positively looks like a pure, however he additionally has skilled some friction within the transition.
“[Hightower] got here to me this morning asking for recommendation,” Mayo stated. “And I used to be like, ‘Welcome to teaching.’ As a lot as you suppose it is about X’s and O’s and getting guys to play arduous for you, it is also a management function. I am an enormous believer that you simply handle processes, you do not handle individuals. You lead individuals. We bounced some concepts off of one another, however he has to give you his personal philosophy in the way in which he offers with issues, so it has been good for him.”
Mayo added: “He ought to apologize to me. Once I coached him, he type of gave me those self same complications.”
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Mayo is shaping the brand new imaginative and prescient of the Patriots. It isn’t simply on the sector and within the assembly rooms. It is within the conflict room through the draft and it is within the movie room as the highest brass assesses free brokers. Mayo is integral to the decision-making course of, as government vp of participant personnel Eliot Wolf has acknowledged again and again. The place Belichick ran the Patriots because the choose and jury, Mayo and Wolf have preached collaboration.
Within the meantime, Mayo must hold mentoring his youthful coaches — like Hightower.
“The primary assembly that we type of jumped into was like an hour and a half assembly. I used to be not ready to guide a gathering an hour and a half,” Hightower stated with a smile.
There’s quite a bit on Mayo’s plate. A lot has been made from the transition on offense, the place the Patriots drafted quarterback Drake Maye and signed Brissett after including offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who introduced in 10 new assistant coaches. There is a huge enterprise on offense. However that does not imply Mayo will not even have his work minimize out for him on protection.
And it begins with who Mayo desires to be as a coach. He is working to search out that out.
Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years masking the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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