The Patriots explain Jerod Mayo’s path to head coaching.
The Brady-Belichick era peaked in the 2014 season when the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens in an instant classic in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Baltimore proved a worthy opponent for the top-seeded Patriots, blowing 14-point leads not once, but twice. The Patriots rallied from a double-digit deficit thanks to Brady’s size, rarely used receiving tricks and a pass that saw wide receiver Julian Edelman connect with Danny Amendola for a 51-yard touchdown.
As always, the legendary quarterback threw a perfect pass to Brandon LaFell for the game-winning touchdown. Brady said it was one of the 10 best throws of his Hall of Fame career.Despite Brady’s late-game heroics and Belichick’s brilliant tactics to lead the Patriots to their fourth straight AFC championship, Jerod Mayo did not play during the memorable victory that planted the first seed of his coaching career. . . Mayo’s season ended three months earlier when he suffered a knee injury in a game against the Bills.
The Patriots linebacker appeared in six games in his seventh season after being drafted in the first round by New England in the 2008 NFL Draft. But he helped his teammates with an extra eye for outstanding defense.During his rehabilitation, Mayo’s relationship with then-assistant coach Steve Belichick grew. Mayo helped Belichick with special projects, reviewing film, and the duo scouted future opponents.
On an exciting Saturday night, Mayo had a Microsoft Surface tablet in hand to show his teammates how the Ravens attacked the Patriots’ defense. “I remember the game against Baltimore in 2014 when he got injured. He comes to us non-stop with his Surface [tablet] and shows us what’s going on in the game and what Baltimore is doing against us during the game.
Game legend Devin McCourty told Patriots.com. “It was a balance between keeping the lights on and getting the players ready. Also, understanding X and OS, type of player and game can get you both ways. I think that perfectly represents who Jerod is.”Nine years after New England won its fourth Super Bowl championship in 2014, Patriots president and CEO Robert Kraft introduced Mayo as the franchise’s 15th head coach. The successor to Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of all time, was named the youngest current head coach in the NFL (37 years old), and the team named him without even interviewing other candidates.
Plans for Belichick’s successor are in the works. for years.For those who know him well, Mayo’s rise to head coach in the Patriots organization comes as no surprise.
