Jerod Mayo Denies the Patriots are Taking 'Shots' at Bill Belichick. They Better Not Be.

Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.

Yesterday after Eliot Wolf arrived at the Combine and took questions for the first time as the Patriots new GM-without-title, I made a lot of analogies to how Presidents take office and make a big dramatic display of issuing orders to some pet cause they campaigned on. And mostly drilled down on what Wolf said about what he looks for in a quarterback. And of course every historic metaphor I used was exactly the sort of insightful, spot-on analysis that makes men want to be me and women to call out my name during sessions of noisy lovemaking. 

But with typical humility, I'll be the first to admit I missed one rather important aspect of what Wolf said. And it's something Jerod Mayo had to answer for this morning:

NBC Sports - New Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and head of personnel Eliot Wolf both have spoken at length about installing a new culture and a new way of operating in New England. 

Mayo said he "(doesn't) like echo chambers" and expressed a desire to "knock down silos and collaborate." Wolf admitted there's "more of an open — less of a hard-ass type — vibe" at the Patriots' facility. Both used the word "different" multiple times in their introductory press conferences.

There's a reading of those comments that doesn't reflect well on former head coach Bill Belichick. …

Mayo and Wolf appeared to be spotlighting all that was wrong in Belichick's old regime.

On Wednesday, however, Mayo pushed back on the narrative that he and the Patriots are taking veiled digs at their former boss.

"Look, it's going to be different, but at the same time, I would say Bill did a great job for a long period of time" Mayo told reporters, including our Patriots Insider Phil Perry, at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "I don't want you guys to take this, just because we're changing, as shots toward the previous regime." 

"In saying that, we will do it differently, and it'll feel different. But at the end of the day, we would like to replicate the success that the prior regime had. So, I learned a lot from Bill and also his staff, but now we’ll see what this chapter looks like."

Before we dive in, let me point out something I've mentioned before: Mayo is a big "At the End of the Day" Guy. And it would appear from yesterday that so is Wolf. Again, no one dabbles in At the End of the Day. You either never say it, or you use it a half dozen times in every interview. I'm cursed with a tin ear for people's verbal tics. And once I pick up on one, I can't unhear it. But since these are the men who have been tasked with leading us back to where we win postseason games, so I'm just going to have to suck it up. The things I do for you kids, while asking nothing in return. 

Second, of course Wolf and Mayo are well within their rights to change up how business is done in Foxboro. In fact, if this is who they are, if this is how they prefer to operate, it would be insane to approach the job any other way. If we've learned anything since about the time Charlie Weis left in 2005, trying to operate the way Belichick did is career suicide. There have been plenty of his former minions who tried to be cheap, knockoff, Ocean State Job Lot Belichicks, Frank Caliendo versions of him, and that way lies madness. The first order of business any time you're leading people is to be your authentic self. So if knocking down silos and collaboration are your thing, and echo chambers and treating the media like something your dog rolled in are not, then by all means, be your genuine self. 

That said, the whole Patriots organization would be wise to check themselves when it comes to how they talk about Belichick's "regime." To watch their tongues when it comes to sounding all dismissive about "hard-ass type vibes" and whatnot. That hardassery built an empire. That "vibe" kept the wolves at bay for 20 years here. Keep using the word "different" all you want. But just keep in mind that without the old approach, Wolf might be the Northeast Region scout for the Panthers and Mayo (God forbid) might have been drafted by the Jets. 

This whole Patriots organization needs to understand what the "vibe" among their fans is right now. Faith in the future of this team is hanging by a thread. These executives and coaches don't come into their new jobs with the full confidence of the public. That has to be earned. Which the man they're replacing did a thousand times over. And it's why we were all willing to take bullets for him. The last few years were disappointing, to say the least. But to beat that presidential analogy to death, these guys are coming into the Oval Office after decades of peace and prosperity. They're replacing someone whose face we expect to see on money soon. Do things in your own style, but choose your words carefully when you talk about a guy we think deserves his own Mt. Rushmore. Or you risk alienating the populace before you've even had a chance to earn their trust.

Finally, don't forget the situation you've inherited. When Belichick assumed command, the team was in Salary Cap Supermax. Bobby Grier and Pete Carroll had been handing out so many guaranteed deals the team wasn't even saving money by cutting guys. But somehow they managed to get under the cap, in his own words, "by about 40 bucks." While building the foundation of the 2001 Super Bowl champs. Yet he never complained publicly about the situation he inherited. The Wolf-Mayo Administration assumes office with the best payroll situation in the league over the next two years:

… and the most draft capital since Bill Parcells had the No. 1 pick in 1993. Focus on making use of those assets and turning this franchise around, and quit worrying about Belichick. The fanbase is in no mood for it. You don't have to kiss his ass; just stop concerning yourself with the hardness of it. And Do. Your. Job.