the greg hill show: devin McCourty joins, says tension with Mayo report is strange
As rumors of who the Patriot's next head coach will be continue to run rampant as the 2023 season comes to an end, the idea that linebackers Jerod Mayo may be the heir apparent to Bill Belichick remains at the forefront.
However, according to Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, Mayo has "rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building since his extension [this past offseason]." He added that one source called it a "longshot" that Mayo becomes the next man in charge.
Former Patriots safety Devin McCourty was asked about this report on his weekly Wednesday appearance with WEEI's The Greg Hill Show:
"I saw that," McCourty said. "I thought that was very awkward, simply because when I hear things like that I first think about like, alright who does this benefit?... I used to always think it was like always players, and then I realized it's always somebody with a bigger agenda."
"For one," he continued. "I don't understand what he could irritate people on. His role's still the same... it was kind of awkward and weird to me because it would have to be somebody, like, deep inside to have any thought of that. Because from a player standpoint, it seems like it's still working there. Him and Steve [Belichick] are rolling with the defense and they've been running the defense."
McCourty went on to question how all of a sudden Mayo could be causing friction, given that nothing has changed in his role as a coach:
"It's not like he's like this step down below Bill where he's the associate head coach or something where he's doing things," he explained. "So I thought that was a weird kind of story and thing to come out, that like he's rubbing people the wrong way because my guess would be he's been the same. He's almost-- he's very similar as a player when he's in his coaching style. Like he's always laughing, joking, getting on people. Like that's how he was as a player so, even when he came back into the building nothing really changed."
Mayo has expressed interest in becoming an NFL head coach one day, and has even taken interviews with the Broncos, Raiders, and Eagles in the past. The inside linebackers coach also been dubbed the "heir apparent" in Foxborough by Robert Kraft himself. McCourty wonders, however, if the Patriots is the best fit for him.
"That's something that I've actually thought about," he said when asked if Mayo should think about coaching elsewhere to prove he can do it on his own. "I'm like, you know you played here, then you came back and you coached here. Simply from the thought process of like, 'Hey, let's learn something new. Let's see how somebody else operates. Let's see, like, one of these other offenses up close and personal,' just to kind of get a different perspective."
"I remember even talking to him about that a couple of years ago," McCourty continued. "And I think the hard thing is, I had to put myself in his shoes, if you get a head coaching job, especially in the NFL as a black coach, you really can't turn that down. Like every year we're always talking about these crazy stats for black coaches and black GMs, how rare it is, that like if you get an opportunity to advance in the NFL, it's hard to turn down because you don't know when your next opportunity is going to come... So I just think-- yes, I think it would be awesome for him to just learn something new. To compile that with all the things he's learned from Coach Belichick, learned from the Krafts. But I think it would be really hard if they offer him any type of job, whether it's D coordinator, if it's head coach in the future. I would be hard for him to say no to that and just hope something better happens."
You can listen to McCourty's full interview with The Greg Hill Show here.
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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