When Jerod Mayo was announced as the Patriots’ next head coach, the players couldn’t hide their excitement. Over the past five seasons, Mayo has developed many special relationships with the players he has coached. As the team’s pitching coach and de facto defensive coordinator, Mayo got to know people on a personal level. That made him the most popular player in the Patriots locker room.
Being a former player and having a high football IQ, it was easy for him to gain respect. When he was announced as the team’s head coach, the players said they were very happy for the man they felt was qualified to take over the job. “My first reaction? fraud. Of course it’s hype,” Patriots quarterback Ja’Whaun Bentley said.
“This is your position coach, the guy you’ve spent the most time with, the guy you’ve spent the most time with on defense and the entire linebacker room . Nice to meet you. Whether you’re a player or a coach, it’s really cool to do the right thing, sweat every day and see that everything will be fine. That’s big.””We’re excited for him,” Patriots quarterback Jonathan Jones added. “We know that’s what he really wants. He wanted to be a head coach.
He’s always tried to be a good coach, so we’re happy for him.”Bentley and Jones were part of the Patriots contingent that visited Gillette Stadium for Mayo’s introductory press conference on Wednesday. The Patriots’ new head coach talked about his true calling as a teacher. Mayo’s teaching style is different from Bill Belichick’s. With Mayo, the Patriots have a true player-coach. At 37, the youngest head coach in the NFL isn’t afraid to be himself.
Players said his honesty was refreshing and they found him easy to connect with.”I think he’s a good leader,” Jones said. “It starts here: Men are drawn to her and what she preaches and stands for. He is a full-time coach. He is a stable person. One thing about Mayo is that he will be himself. You shouldn’t worry about it. He can stamp it and take whatever he wants.””He knows how to bring people together and get the best out of them,” Bentley said. “It’s person to person.
This is not a big message for everyone because everyone takes it differently. But relationships off the pitch are also important to him as he can empathize with all the players. “That helped him become a coach.”These connections made it easier for players to choose Mayo for their coaching careers.
Bentley explained that the players liked Mayo so much that he hopes to land a head coaching position somewhere in the NFL. When Patriots owner Robert Kraft decided Mayo would replace Belichick, the players were happy in part because they thought he was the right man for the job.”I wasn’t as shocked or surprised as I was when I jumped out of our seats when Jerrod left like that,” Bentley said. “We were delighted to see the right thing happen – the right person got the job. “It’s huge for us.”
