Bill Belichick may have a method to his madness — at least when it comes to hiring young and relatively inexperienced assistant coaches.
Jerod Mayo was a guest this week on the “Pats from the Past” podcast, and he spent a portion of the episode talking about his coaching philosophy. The 2008 first-round pick, who joined the Patriots staff as a linebackers coach in 2019, said he isn’t afraid to disagree with Belichick.
“I tell Bill what it is. I don’t sit there and agree with everything he has to say, and he doesn’t agree with everything that I have to say,” Mayo said. “There’s a mutual respect there. I see things a little bit differently.”
Mayo racked up eight seasons with the Patriots, recording more than 100 tackles four times. With that kind of resume, it isn’t surprising that Belichick listens to him, even when he disagrees.
But what about the others? The Patriots have an influx green coaches, including Steve Belichick, who’s believed to share defensive coordinator responsibilities with Mayo (Brian Belichick is also on staff as the safeties coach). Nick Caley, the tight ends coach, is one of the most experienced assistants on staff. He’s been with the organization for seven seasons.
Mayo says Belichick listens to their voices as well, and values the rapports they enjoy with players.
“You talk about diversity, most of the time people only talk about Black and white and skin color, but there’s also diversity of thought,” Mayo explained. “There’s generational diversity. I think those things oftentimes get missed when people talk about diversity. I think Bill’s done a good job of getting people around him who can relate more to the players.”
Belichick has faced criticism for surrounding himself with his own children and other disciples who are indebted to him. Putting Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in prominent roles only further fuels that perception.
But Mayo makes it sound like there’s more divergence among members of the coaching staff than one would think. It seems like a youth movement is underway in Foxborough.
That extends to the linebacking corps. The Patriots didn’t re-sign veterans Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower this offseason, instead opting to rely on an array of second-, third- and fourth-year players.
Mayo says it’s valuable for young players to learn the game alongside direct peers. “That is the exciting part — the unknown,” he said. “We’re going to go into it as a unit, we’re gonna go into it together. And, I would say, even right now, not having some of those older guys in the room is beneficial for the younger guys, because older guys would be bored out of their minds with some of the things we’re talking about. At the same time, it’s forcing young guys to really take that step forward, and really grow and develop without being hindered by any other guy’s experience.”
Even though Mayo retired in 2015, he says he’s always learning, too.
“I’m not a guy who’s stuck in my ways. I’m not static. I’m always looking for ways to grow,” he said. “ven when I’m talking to these college kids virtually, I’m like, ‘What did you guys call this?’ I’m trying to listen to these guys and trying to pick up a few nuggets as well. I’m not sitting here saying I have all the answers. I know I don’t. Or that even Bill has all the answers, and even he knows he doesn’t have all the answers, which is a good thing. Learning from other people outside of this building is always beneficial.”
The whole podcast is worthwhile, and features Mayo recounting some entertaining stories from his playing days (he says there was “stone-cold silence” for two minutes when he met with the Patriots at the NFL Combine). After listening, it’s easy to see why Mayo is discussed as a future head coach. He’s a bright and curious man, which are two qualities every good coach should have.
