New England Patriots defensive end Keion White swiftly detected a shift in coaching style between the team’s new head coach, Jerod Mayo, and former coach Bill Belichick. Reflecting on the change during OTAs, White noted to reporters that the absence of constant verbal reprimands from Belichick was noticeable under Mayo’s leadership, although the overall atmosphere remained largely unchanged.
Belichick’s gruff demeanour wasn’t for everybody, but White was a fan: “I miss it. I like Bill. He’s my type of coach, like a hard-ass. I like that. I respond well to things like that.
Ultimately though, the second-year edge defender respects Mayo for doing things his way: “Mayo’s done a pretty good job, too. It’s all different. Mayo’s doing a really good job of staying true to himself, not trying to fill somebody else’s shoes, but create his own path, and I really respect that.”
Whether a more gentle method of teaching works or not, the Patriots are undergoing an increasing amount of change since Belichick parted ways with the franchise. Mayo doesn’t have to match the sharp tongue of his old boss, provided he can prove his equal in the X’s and O’s, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where the Patriots remain strong.
Jerod Mayo Has to Be Different from Bill Belichick
The Belichick way had grown stale during his final years. There’s no other way to view New England’s rapid decline after six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Without Brady’s brand of magic, Belichick’s drill sergeant act alone couldn’t paper over the cracks. The Pats endured three losing seasons out of four, a miserable run culminating in a 4-11 finish in 2023.
That record prompted Mayo’s promotion from inside linebackers coach to the top job. The 38-year-old needs to forge his own path. He’ll get nowhere trying to be the same coach as Belichick.
Frankly, that’s not what the Patriots want. Rumors have been rife team owner Robert Kraft had grown tired of Belichick, even going as far as scuppering the latter’s chances of being hired by the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler.
They reported on April 17, how Kraft spoke to Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank and “delivered a stark assessment of Belichick’s character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, ‘Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill.’ That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.”
Regardless of the extent of any tension between owner and coach, the ESPN report also noted how “Even Belichick was aware that his head coach/GM hybrid had fallen out of favor around the league, sources said.”
The post-Belichick Patriots have already embraced that change. Eliot Wolf’s increased role in roster building is proof of the new way.
Regardless of the extent of any tension between owner and coach, the ESPN report also noted how “Even Belichick was aware that his head coach/GM hybrid had fallen out of favor around the league, sources said.”
The post-Belichick Patriots have already embraced that change. Eliot Wolf’s increased role in roster building is proof of the new way.
Mayo’s interactions with the players Wolf chooses, as well as the holdovers from Belichick’s tenure, is the next necessary change. Ideally, it will inspire improvement across the board, particularly for an intriguing talent like White.
