Patriots' HC Jerod Mayo Sounds Off on Expectations for New Regime

The Jerod Mayo era has gotten off to a strong start in Foxboro. Since being passed the torch from the legendary Bill Belichick earlier this offseason, the New England Patriots' new head coach has been making his presence felt in the building amid the team's franchise refresh.

There's bound to be a feeling of uncertainty for what lies ahead after pivoting from an elite coaching talent like Belichick, but signs up to this point have shown that Mayo has the tools to lead this team to success. The Patriots' coach has a plan in place to get this team back to its steep heights and seems pumped to take the steps climbing to the top.

During an interview with former Patriots tackle and Super Bowl champion Sebastian Vollmer, Mayo laid out what fans should be expecting heading into their upcoming 2024 campaign, voicing New England's intent to "embrace the process" and "reset the standard."

"We'll be competitive. We compete in everything we do, and at the same time, we understand you've got to be tough, smart, and dependable on a down-after-down basis. What I can promise you, is you'll see guys flying around on special teams, offense, and defense, and really embracing the process. Obviously, the outcome is always the most important thing, but we're going to set a standard, or I should say, reset the standard, for the New England Patriots this year and going forward."
Jerod Mayo

With Mayo in charge, the players have seemed to buy in and invest in what this new leadership group has brought to the table. Seeing that respect for this new Patriots regime without playing a down is a great sign for what's to come, and shows further signs that this franchise has made the right hire to be Belichick's successor.

Taking a step back to look at the Patriots roster, it could very well be a squad that takes two to three years to fill out into a true championship-level team. But, with several key building blocks already in place, including Coach Mayo, it instills some confidence for what the future may hold.

A smart, young head coach, paired with a strong defensive core and a high-ceiling rookie quarterback looks like a stellar start to a rebuild on paper, but more work remains to be done. Just don't expect this Patriots team not to compete.

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