Expect The Unexpected With New Patriots HC Jerod Mayo
After Bill Belichick retired from the New England Patriots on January 11, 2024, Jerod Mayo was hired as the next head coach. Belichick coached for the Patriots for 24 seasons and became one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Mayo has very little experience coaching in the NFL, but he has 6 years of his life as a linebacker and three years of experience as a finance executive. He has been an assistant linebacking coach for the New England Patriots since 2019. Everyone wants to know how Jerod Mayo’s experience is going to impact the New England Patriots in the future. To understand how Mayo will change the legacy of the Patriots, we need to know how his experience differs from Belichick's.
The Legacy of Bill Belichick Left Behind.
After graduating from Wesleyan University in 1975, Belichick was the coach assistant for the Baltimore Colts and made $25 a week while shadowing under Ted Marchibroda. Belichick was able to build relationships with other football teams like the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions. He was hired as the coach for the New York Giants in 1979 for 12 seasons. During Belichick’s time as a coach for the New York Giants, he worked under the head coach Bill Parcells as the defensive coordinator.
The owner of the Cleveland Browns, Art Modell hired Belichick after the New York Giants won the Super Bowl XXV against the Buffalo Bills in 1991 with the score 20-19. Belichick had a hard time coaching the Cleveland Browns, so he was fired in the 1995-1996 season. In 1996, Belichick started to work under Parcells again who was the head coach for the New England Patriots. In 2000, Belichick became the head coach for the New England Patriots after there was a disagreement between Parcells and Robert Kraft. During Belichick’s time as the head coach for the New England Patriots, he motivated his team to win 6 Super Bowls which is the most any team has won in the history of the NFL.
The Legacy Jared Mayo is Building for Himself.
Although Jerod Mayo has no experience as a head coach, he has a lot of experience playing football. Mayo was sent three football letters for linebacker and running back positions for his outstanding football performance at Kecoughtan High in his senior year in 2004. During his senior year, Mayo made 110 tackles and 2 interceptions. He attended the University of Tennessee and played for the Tennessee Volunteer football team from 2004-2007.
In 2008, Mayo became the best linebacker in the NFL draft. The media said, “In a 3-4 defense, Mayo is a perfect fit to play one of the inside sports”. The New England Patriots offered Mayo a $118.9 million contract and a $13.8 million signing bonus in 2008. The New England Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens by 10-6 in the 2008-2009 season, Mayo had a total of 128 tackles and no interceptions in the 2008-2009 season. In the 2009-2010 season, Mayo sprained his MCL during a game against the Buffalo Bills, but his team won 25-24.
Jerod Mayo finished the 2009-2010 season with 105 tackles and no interceptions. In the 2010-2011 season, Mayo helped the Patriots reach the XLVI Super Bowl, but they lost to the Giants by 24-20. Even though Mayo’s team lost, he was named the Rookie of the Year and earned the Pro Bowl Honors. In 2012, Jerod Mayo kicked the football out of bounds and was fined a $10,000 fine. Even though the Patriots lost to the Giants for the third time with the score 21-17.
From 2013-2015, Mayo was a reserved player for the Patriots due to injuries which made him announce his retirement on Instagram in 2016. From 2016-2019, Mayo applied the skills he learned from football to become a financial executive at Optum. In 2019, Mayo decided to return to the New England Patriots as the inside linebacker coach and recently got hired as the head coach after Belichick retired.
Belichick and Mayo have different backgrounds, which will greatly impact how their coaching styles differ. Bill Belichick spent most of his career coaching different football teams and knows various football strategies as a result. Jerod Mayo spent most of his life as a linebacker, so he already has a relationship with some of the Patriots. His football experience will help him empathize and collaborate with the team. As a finance executive, Mayo learned leadership and communication skills that he plans on using as a coach for the Patriots. Mayo will be coaching the Patriots differently than Belichick, and time will tell how the football and financial experience he has will make up for his inexperience as a head coach.
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