FOXBORO, Massachusetts — Jerod Mayo turned to face the crowd of Patriots supporters who usually congregate behind the end zone following training camp drills, clutching souvenirs. Every day, players go to this location to sign autographs.
Until today, the Pats’ second camp day, when their new head coach casually went up to join them. As he signed the autograph he had grown accustomed to giving out as the NFL’s top tackler in 2010 and a first-round selection in 2008, Mayo struck up small talk with a few of the spectators.
A new sight: the head coach of the Patriots signing autographs. pic.twitter.com/GhvD4ppZdu
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) July 25, 2024
That would not be news to many teams. You could argue that, in the face of far more important concerns about how the Patriots will improve upon their four-win campaign from the previous season, it does not even make a dent. But considering the sharp contrast with Bill Belichick—who was usually eager to get off the practice grounds and start watching the session on video—it was undoubtedly a game-changing moment.
The Patriots are not going to win any more games because to Mayo’s contacts with fans. In the event that the Patriots lose, it will not matter what he does differently from Belichick. However, that was just another indication of how things felt different in the post-Belichick world.
Here are a few other training camp modifications the team made, along with some lessons learned from the squad’s second summer session.
New start time
As a player, Mayo gained knowledge from Belichick, and he later mentored him as a coach. However, that does not imply he will act in the same manner as Belichick.
When practice began was one of the first modifications to the camp program that Mayo made. Belichick favored early sessions, which began at nine thirty in the morning. He enjoyed that the players arrived at the facility, went to work, and then met to discuss what they needed to adjust or prepare for the next day.
When practice began was one of the first modifications to the camp program that Mayo made. Belichick favored early sessions, which began at nine thirty in the morning. He enjoyed that the players arrived at the facility, went to work, and then met to discuss what they needed to adjust or prepare for the next day.
“Honestly, I think the guys appreciate that,” Mayo said. “They want to make sure that they tighten all the screws and know exactly what to do on the field so their athleticism can take over. That was the mindset. … When you look at those earlier practices, it just takes a lot of time the night before, and you don’t know if those guys really retain it the next day. I wanted to give those guys the opportunity to brush up before they went on the field.”
Another change from Belichick
The music that plays during practice is the other glaring change from the Belichick era.
“That helps the time go by as well,” Mayo said. “It gets the guys excited. It gets the guys pumped.”
Practice’s music will be selected by the team’s anonymous offseason award winners, according to Mayo. Throughout practice, Belichick would occasionally play music to create the illusion of crowd noise, such as during stretching or 11-on-11 sessions.
Involved on both sides of the ball
The way that Mayo and Belichick approach a practice is one area where they are similar. Mayo has worked with both the offensive and defensive units during the first two practices, similar to how Belichick used to do. This is in contrast to some coaches who just work with one side of the ball.
“I’m a floater,” Mayo said. “Look, I’m supposed to spend most of my time on the defensive side, but at the same time, I’ll definitely make my way over there (to the offense).”
Mayo wanted his defensive coordinator, DeMarcus Covington, to have full play-calling authority so he could be more of a CEO-type coach who works at different moments with all position groups, even though he was a de facto defensive coordinator in recent years (with Belichick’s son, Steve).
An interesting starting O-line
The Patriots’ first-team offensive line was somewhat of a surprise after the first two days of training camp. The Pats have used Mike Onwenu at right guard for the first two practices despite giving him a lucrative contract often reserved for offensive tackles. With him in place, Chukwuma Okorafor on the left and Calvin Anderson or Vederian Lowe on the right have been the team’s starting tackles.
Mayo insisted that’s because the team is trying to “put the best five players out there,” but it does raise some interesting questions.
At the end of the previous season, Onwenu performed admirably as a right tackle and was compensated accordingly, as tackles are paid more highly in the NFL than guards. The $19 million yearly value of his contract would place him fourth among guards in the league but 10th among tackles.
So if the Patriots do actually leave Onwenu at guard, they’re spending a lot of money at a position that isn’t as critical as tackle, instead trusting Okorafor, Anderson and Lowe at the more vital outside spots.
Maye’s scrambling
As is customary in most training camps, and definitely expected for a New England team that hopes its defense can be a top-five unit this autumn, it should come as no surprise that the Patriots defense has outperformed the offense through two days of action.
The Patriots quarterbacks have found it challenging to complete downfield passes, and the offensive line has been routinely outplayed by the pass rush, which makes things more difficult for the signal callers.
Even yet, over the first few days of camp, rookie Drake Maye has impressed with his agility and ability to stretch plays. He appears to be able to buy more time behind a faltering offensive line and has produced numerous plays with his legs.
(Photo: Eric Canha / USA Today)
