Jerod Mayo wants to make it clear that the new leadership for the New England Patriots isn't taking shots at Bill Belichick with their comments.
The Patriots head coach tried to clear the air on comments made by himself and director of scouting Eliot Wolf that were perceived by some as digs at Belichick when he spoke with reporters on Wednesday, merely pointing out they're different than the team's former head coach.
“It's going to be different, but at the same time I would say Bill did a great job for a long period of time,” Mayo said. “I don't want you [in the media] to take this as ‘because we're changing, there are shots toward the previous regime.'
“In saying that, we will do it differently and it will feel different. But at the end of the day, we would like to replicate the success that the prior regime has had. I learned a lot from Bill and also his staff. Now we'll see what this chapter looks like in the franchise.”
Jerod Mayo "Bill Belichick did a great job for a long period of time. I don't want you guys to take this, because we're changing, as shots to the previous regime" pic.twitter.com/EoAHy92dxd
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) February 28, 2024
Mayo's clarification came a day after Wolf said the Patriots are moving forward with an “open, kind of less hard-ass type vibe in the building” as he spoke with reporters for the first time since becoming the team's chief roster decision-maker. In his introductory press conference as the Patriots' next head coach, Mayo said that he “needed a break from Bill” as he took a few years away from the team between his last last game as player before joining the coaching staff in 2019. He also emphasized that he isn't “trying to be Bill.”
Mayo, who played under Belichick for nine seasons before coaching under him for five more years, continued to iterate that they have different styles, hoping his can lead to similar success.
“It's been done a certain way at a high level for 20-plus years,” Mayo said. “But I'd also say there's more than one way [to do it]. It worked for Coach [Belichick]. We'll see what works for Eliot and myself.”
Has Jerod Mayo spoken with Bill Belichick since becoming the Patriots' head coach?
As Mayo enters his first offseason as the Patriots head coach, he didn't say if he has heard from his former boss yet.
“That’s more of a personal question,” Mayo said when asked if he has spoken with Belichick. “I would say I’ve learned a lot from Bill on the field and in the classroom and how to be a professional. You ask him that question.”
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