Mayo kept his cards close at first glance
New coach careful not to tip his hand
FOXBORO >> If there were any doubts Jerod Mayo will be his own man as head coach of the Patriots — not another exBill Belichick assistant turned humorless, ineffectual impersonator — they should have died Wednesday.
Mayo broke from Belichick several times during his introductory press conference. Mayo interrupted Robert Kraft’s opening statement to crack a joke at his boss’ expense and then referred to Kraft almost exclusively by nickname. Imagine Belichick calling Kraft something like “Thunder” just once, and enjoy a quick laugh.
Mayo also broke with Kraft when the octogenarian raised the idea of being “colorblind” when discussing Mayo’s standing as the first Black head coach in team history.
“I appreciate (Kraft) and the organization selecting me to be a Black head coach,” Mayo said. ” … What I will say, though, is I do see color because I believe if you don’t see color, you can’t see racism.”
There you have it. Yes, indeed, it’s a new era in New England. Now, as for all of the other doubts about the Patriots entering this era?
Fair game.
There’s the front office, barren offensive roster and incomplete coaching staff. But let’s stay with Mayo, the new main character in New England’s longest running drama, just a little longer.
The 37-year-old did not effort to win the press conference, a silly notion and meaningless phrase often tossed around at times of coaching change. Press conferences score zero points and don’t force punts. They are a non-negotiable part of the job that usually incur one of two things: fleeting applause or avoidable damage to your team or yourself.
Just ask Joe Judge. Two years after “winning” his first press conference as head coach of the Giants, Judge talked himself out of a job by babbling after one bad loss, then another and another at the end of an embarrassing 2021 campaign. Eventually, Giants ownership called Judge into their office, and he couldn’t talk his way into a third season.
Mayo, more than likely, won’t meet the same fate. He seems secure enough not to play to the applause or chase it for approval. But if Wednesday’s opener was any indication, Mayo also won’t be divulging much publicly.
In this sense, he and Belichick seem to be in lock step, recognizing the reward is not worth the risk behind a microphone. That isn’t to say Mayo won’t be himself; a charismatic leader with media savvy known by ex-teammates, current players and colleagues for his sense of humor and strong voice. Furthermore, Mayo told ESPN he wants to rebuild the relationship between Patriots players and coaches and the media.
That sure is music to my ears, but not the music that matters. The notes Mayo played Wednesday were a song about side-stepping and generalizing when it came to the future of his staff and broken offense.
To wit: this is how Mayo answered a question about possibly opening an offensive coordinator search: “Everything’s still under consideration. Obviously the staff that I’ve been working with isn’t the staff that I have chosen. Everything is under evaluation. I would say with all of my coaches, the number one thing is developing people.”
What about his vision for fixing an offense that averaged fewer than 14 points per game last year?
“First of all, I would say just the energy, right? The passion, the leaders on the offensive side of the ball,” Mayo began. “I think you have to get that stuff in place first. And honestly, as the season starts to roll, you start in the weight room. I think the weight room is really one of the most important areas in the building to really evaluate the people with the team.”
So the fix is … more squats?
To be clear, answering like this is Mayo’s prerogative. And, in the words of his predecessor, probably in the best interest of the football team.
Zooming out, Mayo cannot rebuild the offense without a coaching staff. Right now, the Patriots’ coaching staff consists mostly of assistants on vacation and/or expiring contracts. There is no guarantee Mayo will be able to simply pick and choose whom he wants to keep and whom he wants to hire.
Because the pool of candidates he’ll soon be fishing from will have Belichick tossing a line in as soon as Belichick lands another headcoaching job. Mayo was wise not to tip his hand about whether he prefers candidates like Bill O’Brien, Josh McDaniels, neither or both. Offering an answer with specifics about a scheme, a coach’s background or experience would risk flashing his cards to Belichick, who has studied opposing coaches’ press conferences for years looking for a competitive edge.
Until the Patriots’ assistants are all back in town or ready to negotiate, Mayo’s objective should be to lay out as many options — Plans A, B and C — for himself as possible to give himself the best chance at building a strong staff and then an offense. Mayo appears to have done this on defense, having reportedly offered to keep Belichick’s sons, Steve and Brian Belichick, on staff as assistants. Will they stay? Will they go?
Who knows. Mind you, Mayo has only been on the job six days. Six.
The Patriots were one of eight franchises to change head coaches this offseason, and they are the only ones to have already hired and introduced a replacement. Zero non-playoff teams have an entirely settled staff under contract. That does not make the Patriots’ coaching situation unique or reason to worry — yet.
For now, Mayo is keeping his cards close to the vest in a game he just started playing. So far, so good. That is, with one exception.
Without second thought, Mayo coughed up his game plan for handling visiting family on Wednesday night:
“We’re turning up,” he said.
Cheers to that.