It’s the dawn of a new era for the New England Patriots.
With Bill Belichick out the door, Robert Kraft wanted to turn things around while giving the team some sort of sense of continuity as well.
That’s why he decided to go with Jerod Mayo, who had the respect and ears of everyone in the locker room and the organization and who was always expected to be Belichick’s heir.
However, unlike Belichick, Mayo was in the trenches as well, and he knew how to get to the players.
That’s why WR Kendrick Bourne raved about the new energy and aura he’s brought to the locker room.
Talking to Khari Thompson of Boston.com, he claimed that Mayo likes to keep things simple and he’s a guy who knows how to relate to the players because he was a player himself (via Carlos Talks Pats).
Kendrick Bourne on the energy Jerod Mayo has brought to the #Patriots:
“It’s been awesome. You can just feel it. Just keeping it simple, like things don’t have to be harder than what it is… he relates to us… just keeping it simple…”
(via @_KhariThompson) | @BournePoly11 pic.twitter.com/C3jmDdH7tD
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) April 23, 2024
This new trend of hiring former players seems to be working out just fine around the league.
We’ve seen what Dan Campbell has been able to do with the Detroit Lions, building and developing a strong winning culture.
It didn’t take long before DeMeco Ryans also made a huge impact with the Houston Texans, and Antonio Pierce got Las Vegas Raiders players to run through a brick wall for him right away.
Of course, the Patriots still need to add more talent to their roster to go back to their winning ways.
But getting the players to buy in is a huge part of coaching, and it seems like they’ve got that covered already.
