Caleb Harris
Bill Belichick had a unique approach to coaching and he certainly wasn’t a hit with everyone. Although his “Patriot way” was effective for a time, achieving unprecedented success over two decades, the wheels began to fall off when quarterback Tom Brady left.
Belichick is out and the Patriots have a new coach, Jerod Mayo, a former player and linebackers coach for the team. We have yet to see what Mayo can do to help turn this struggling team around, but there have already been noticeable changes to the way things are done.
While some players have spoken out saying that Belichick’s coaching style is what they prefer, others have alluded that the team is in a better position now that “The Hoodie” is gone.
Patriots wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster apparently criticized his former coach, telling the media“Wait until you see the locker room. The vibes are so much better.”
“Vibrations” can be good, but that doesn’t matter if they are independent of what is happening on the field. We won’t know if Mayo’s style will work with this group until we see them compete in September, but with so many changes, difficulties are to be expected.
Whatever the feeling in the locker room, it didn’t help the team’s chances heading into the 2024 season. Patriots are not favorites to win any games this season and have the second worst chances of winning the Super Bowl (+17500).
The Patriots finished last season with a 4-12 record, the worst record in the AFC. Smith-Schuster didn’t contribute much to the lackluster offense, with 29 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown in 11 games, seven of which he started. Smith-Schuster noted that he wasn’t 100 percent last seasonas he has dealt with knee injuries but now feels ready to go.
Smith-Schuster, now at full capacity according to him, is also clearly enjoying his work environment and will catch passes from a different quarterback than last year. Drake Maye, the third overall pick, and veteran Jacoby Brissett will compete for the starting job this season and the feeling is that either one of them would provide more consistency than the team had in moving from Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe last season.
While it appears that Smith-Schuster is happy with how things are going so far this offseason, another player made contrasting comments about the move, saying he enjoyed playing for Belichick.
“We no longer have Bill calling us names every play,” Patriots defensive end Keion White said. via MassLive.com. “I like Bill. He’s my kind of coach, a tough guy. I like that. I respond well to things like that.”
The understanding so far is that Mayo isn’t trying to be Belichick Jr. and the first-year coach is finding his own path.
“Mayo also did a good job. It’s all different,” White said. “Mayo is doing a great job of staying true to himself, not trying to fill someone else’s shoes, but creating his own path, and I really respect that.”
Some changes include that players are assigned numbers according to their position and do not have to “earn” the good numbers. There were also reports, as Smith-Schuster said, that the locker room atmosphere was more relaxed.
