New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said during Bill Belichick’s press conference that the team is “trying to move very quickly” on the next step toward hiring a new head coach.
Less than 24 hours later, word came that the Patriots had found their man. Jerod Mayo will be the youngest head coach in the NFL (at 37) once the move becomes official, and he has a wealth of experience.
After an eight-year playing career that included AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors from 2008 to 2015, a first-team All-Pro nomination and two Pro Bowl honors, he was drafted as an inside linebacker for New England in March 2019. Employed as a coach. Mayo is expected to be the leader for a long time after Belichick’s departure.In 103 career games (and eight playoff appearances), the Tennessee product has been a leader both on the field and in the locker room.
Mayo led a Patriots defense that ranked in the top 10 in points allowed per game in seven of eight seasons and led the league in rushing during his 2010 All-Pro campaign.New England appeared in two Super Bowls during Mayo’s playing days, winning Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Patriots have made the playoffs in just two of the last five years since Mayo came to the state and missed the last two seasons, but the team’s defense has mostly done its job.New England’s defense ranked first in scoring (14.1 points per game) in Mayo’s first season on the court, seventh in 2020 (22.1) and second in 2021 (17.8). Despite plenty of injuries and an organization that knows its Belichick days, the defenses the last two years ranked 11th and 15th in the league in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Mayo has a chance to develop one of the game’s best linebackers by working with four-time Pro Bowler Matt Judon over the past three years and should be ready to take over again after being limited to four games in 2023. Patriots rule. Defense 2024 Sometimes expectations are the best option when it comes to head coaching searches, and Mayo’s hiring appears to be the case.
Leave a Reply