Patriots Defenders ‘Respect’ Jerod Mayo’s Approach To New Role

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo ran his first OTA practice Monday, and provided a slightly different atmosphere to that of his predecessor.

“I mean, we don’t got Bill (Belichick) cursing us out every play anymore,” Keion White cracked Monday, per team-provided video. “It’s still pretty similar.”

Mayo has his own way of going about things.

The Patriots gave us all a glimpse into his personality, releasing a video with behind-the-scenes footage of Mayo’s first full-team practice as the head honcho. He cracked jokes with players, gave hands-on tips and seemed to keep himself measured throughout the day. It’s something that hasn’t been seen around New England in a while, but can still be respected by players despite how different it is.

“I can respond to any coaching style as long as you’re genuine and stay true to who you are,” White said. “If you’re a friendly coach and you try to be a hard ass, I’m gonna see through that and challenge the (expletive). Then if you’re a hard ass coach and trying to be super friendly because you’re trying to cater to certain players, I’m going to see through that. I’d much rather you just be yourself and be who you are, and that’s what Mayo is doing and I respect that.”

Belichick’s disciples have long been judged for their inability to create a culture of their own. Joe Judge, Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels were each labeled as copy-cats in their unsuccessful attempts at running an NFL franchise.

Mayo, as we’ve seen throughout his first offseason, has no problem trying to create something of his own.

“We were blessed to have Mayo be promoted to head coach,” White said. “… We already have a relationship with those guys, so it’s still fitting in with the Patriot way and the Patriot system.”