If the Patriots decide to move on from Bill Belichick after Sunday’s season finale, Ty Law is firmly on Team Jerod Mayo when it comes to the successor. It’s a position he reiterated Tuesday morning on The Greg Hill Show.
“If they did part ways, if it is getting to be a bit frustrating, I would like to see Jerod Mayo be the next head coach,” Law said. “He has the respect. And you have to relate to – look at what Antonio Pierce is doing with the Raiders. They rally around him. Look at how the [Patriots’] defense is playing. They’re down, they’re banged up, and he’s got those boys playing. They’re being competitive even though they don’t have very many pieces. You have to give credit somewhere, and Jerod Mayo is that guy. He has the respect of not only players, but his peers, and he played the game.”
Producer Chris Scheim expressed some concern that Mayo might not be willing to make other necessary changes to the coaching staff, such as bringing in a new offensive coordinator vs. running it back with Bill O’Brien. Law said he has no such concerns.
“Let me tell you something: If Jerod Mayo was the head coach, he wouldn’t have a problem firing the whole damn staff,” Law said. “That’s who he is as a person. He’s gonna look at it from a business standpoint. It’s not gonna be about making friends or anything like that. Jerod Mayo is the type of guy – he was a businessman before he got into coaching. He made some good business moves out there. He was in that world. So, he’s gonna look at it from a strategic and a business standpoint. I don’t think just because he’s coached with you that he’s gonna be obligated to give you a job.”
Host Greg Hill wondered if the Patriots’ next head coach needs to be someone more offensive-minded rather than another defense-first coach like Mayo. Law pushed back against that, too.
“No, not necessarily,” he said. “Because if you’ve got somebody that’s gonna lead in the right way and bring the right person in… Just because you have an offensive-minded coach, that doesn’t mean that your offense is gonna be that much better. The defense wins championships. I’ll say that all the time. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. … I’m telling you, Jerod Mayo would be a great head coach, because there’s not one player that can look at him and question the validity of anything he says. That’s very important, when you’ve played the game.”
