With Jerod Mayo taking over as head coach of the New England Patriots, he is doing things his own way, which results in some differences from how Bill Belichick operated, and one of those changes is that team captains will have the “C” on their jerseys. Mayo said it is important to him that those players are represented with the Patriots with the patch on their jerseys.

“The captains for this year's team… they'll have their ‘C's,” Jerod Mayo said, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I do think it's important to have the ‘C' on the jerseys. That's one difference that I think is important. … I was a captain seven out of eight years, which once again, whatever happens inside the building. that's always the most important thing. But I do think it's like a badge of honor, and I think when guys do the right thing, they should be recognized for those things. It's something as small as having the captain's patch, I think it's important for those guys.”

As far as captains this year, the Patriots have six of them with center David Andrews, quarterback Jacoby Brissett, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bently, safety Jabrill Peppers, long snapper Joe Cardona, and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. It will be interesting to see if any of these players speak on the patch being on the jerseys now, and if that is something that is appreciated. It could be a way for a first-time head coach to endear himself to his players.

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The Patriots are still viewed as one of the weakest rosters in the NFL, and it is seemingly one of the main reasons that Mayo decided to name Jacoby Brissett the starter in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, despite the good play of rookie Drake Maye in the preseason.

Drake Maye is the future of the franchise, and the Patriots cannot afford to mishandle his development. Playing him behind a weak offensive line early on in his career could be a recipe for disaster. Maye has all the tools to become an elite quarterback, but he needs to be set up for success and hone in on fundamentals, specifically when it comes to footwork.

The expectations is likely not to win a lot of games this year in New England. It will be to establish some kind of foundation, and potentially play Maye when he is ready at some point.