Patriots Hall of Famer Reveals Choice To Replace Belichick
Amidst the New England Patriots' worst season in 30 years, the main question surrounding the team is who will replace legendary coach Bill Belichick if/when owner Robert Kraft decides to make a monumental change.
Every talking head under the sun has given their two cents on the topic, but it holds a bit more weight when a former Patriots player weighs in. So when Hall-of-Fame cornerback Ty Law, a cornerstone of New England's defense for the club's first three Super Bowl wins, gives his opinion ... best believe that Patriots fans will take note.
"I would like to see Jerod Mayo get an opportunity," Law said during his weekly Ty Tuesday appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. "Because I think he has respect from, especially around here, he has respect from players as a former player, which you don't have a lot of former players [coaching]."
Ty Law and Bill Belichick.
The 37-year-old Mayo, who is currently the Patriots' linebackers coach, has been a popular pick to replace Belichick for quite some time now. He is also very familiar with the team, as he spent his entire eight-year career with the club while recording over 800 tackles and winning Super Bowl 49.
Law even sees a comparable for Mayo in Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, another former linebacker. Since Pierce took over for the fired Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots' longtime offensive coordinator before moving out west, the Raiders have played with much more passion and energy.
"You see what's going on [in Las Vegas]," Law said. "I think that's a direct result of him being able to relate to the players in a certain way. And he's got those boys playing. He played that position, that leadership position, as a linebacker. You have the same thing with Jerod Mayo. He's been coaching under Bill Belichick. He knows how to coach. He can go find the players and maybe he can get to them in a different way."
While Mayo is a popular pick as the Patriots' next coach, that plan may have hit a bump in the road recently. The Boston Sports Journal reported earlier this week that Mayo has "rubbed some people the wrong way" within the organization, potentially casting doubt on his candidacy.
There's also the possibility that the Patriots decide to hire someone else, with two popular choices being Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh.
Regardless of any roadblocks standing in the way, Law still believes that Mayo is the right man for the job.
"I would love to see Jerod Mayo get an opportunity to be a head coach, and be the head coach for the Patriots," Law said. "That'd be one hell of a story."
