6 Rings & Football Things: Instant Reaction to Patriots Head Coach Jerod Mayo's Introductory Press Conference
Jerod Mayo was officially introduced as the 15th head coach in Patriots history on Wednesday afternoon and, while impressing during his first press conference, one quote stood out from the rest:
"I'm not trying to be Bill," New England's new man in charge said when asked about the difficulty of replacing the greatest head coach of all time. "I'm not trying to be Bill. I think that Bill is his own man. If you can't tell by now, I'm a little bit different even up here. But what I will say is the more I think about lessons I've taken from Bill: 'Hard work works'. Hard work works, and that's what we're all about."
Whether Mayo likes it or not, he'll forever be connected and compared to Belichick, whom he both played and coached under for a combined 13 years. However the way he builds his staff underneath him seems markedly different. The seven-year NFL veteran explained on Wednesday how important titles will be in his coaching hierarchy, a far cry from what Belichick believed:
"I think it's important," Mayo said when asked if he's going to name coordinators on his staff. "I think titles are important, and I know -- no knock to Coach Belichick who has been a huge mentor to me over the years as a player and as a colleague."
Mayo never got a title change until now during his time in New England. He was the 'inside linebackers coach' from 2019-2023, and had previously mentioned in a press conference that he essentially hoped people would ignore his title and instead focus on his resume when grading his ability to be a head coach.
"What I would say is I believe titles are important outward-looking, but as far as in the building, I don't care what your title is," Mayo continued. "It's what's your job, what value do you bring to the organization. I think that's the most important thing. Sometimes I think in business, in sports, people get caught up in titles, but I also understand the other side. If you want to continue to get promoted, people have to know exactly what you do. But like I said earlier, inside, it's all about collaboration. That's what [Robert Kraft] talked about, and that's what I'm about, as well."
Mayo also explained his style as a coach and what he wants to accomplish.
"I would say I'm a huge believer in just developing people," Mayo said whether it's on the football field, whether it's off the football field, in the media world, in business. My calling is to be a teacher and to develop people and help them see pretty much what they don't want to see but they need to see, so my job has always been -- that is my calling. Becoming a Patriot, it's never really felt like a job."
He closed his monologue out with a simple, but stern, ending to kick off his tenure commanding the next chapter of football in Foxborough:
"I'm honored. I'm ready to go. I'm excited to be the next head coach of the Patriots."
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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