Positive From Last Night: We Have Our Mayo Back!

The last 3 games have seen increasingly more visions of Mayo 2012.

Get Collins back next week and maybe the Pats can win a 7-3 game in Denver.

That tackle on Buff's first drive was the first time we've seen true Mayo all year. Considering all the damn injuries on offense, it's a welcome sight.

Defense has not had to carry this team for a very long time. Why not start now?

I thought Mayo looked the best he has so far this year. Please not 7-3. My heart can't take it.

Mayo made some plays finally, but check the snap count. As I recall, Mayo got only 16 and Freeny is still getting all the snaps (53).

Mayo didn't look that good to me. He was still getting caught up on blocks. He made one or two good plays but others didn't look too good. :S

Mayo is still recovering fromh is injuries. Lateral quickness and change of direction is the last thing to return from a knee injury. Plus it usuallly takes two years for that attribute, and LBs need it more than most. He'll be his old self in late 2015 or 2016, IMHO.

I have been less enthusiastic of his performances this yerar. He looks way undersized to me. Reminds me of an expensive Don Davis at this point.

Mack Herron said:

Mayo made some plays finally, but check the snap count. As I recall, Mayo got only 14 and Freeny is still getting all the snaps.

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I chalked that up to Collins being out, and mayo not being able to handle coverage duties. With Collins ability in coverage, it will be interesting how they handle the snaps between Mayo and Freeny next week.

I was also pleasently surprised by Mayos return. Whether or not he ever gets all the way back is less important to me than him staying healthy and on the roster in case anything happened to Hightower or Collins.

The dude played 16 snaps. Thats it.

While he did play decent, hes not "back".

Tuck said:

I have been less enthusiastic of his performances this yerar. He looks way undersized to me. Reminds me of an expensive Don Davis at this point.

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Don Davis was a ST demon.

I don't want Mayo 2012. I want Mayo first four weeks of 2014.

That said, he looked a lot better last night. On Hightower's TFL that was because Mayo knifed through the line and McCoy had to go wider than initially planned.

robertweathers said:

The dude played 16 snaps. Thats it.

While he did play decent, hes not "back".

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And in those 16 snaps, he made more plays than he had the entire season to date. I'm OK with a little enthusiasm about the performance.

The better question, IMO, is what to make of Tavon Wilson's game. Just by pure surprise at seeing #27, my eye was drawn to him and he was playing well. Where the hell did that come from?

In his 16 plays he was noticeable.. if Collins comes back his snap count will diminish. A part time Mayo is a nice luxury..

Oswlek said:

And in those 16 snaps, he made more plays than he had the entire season to date. I'm OK with a little enthusiasm about the performance.

The better question, IMO, is what to make of Tavon Wilson's game. Just by pure surprise at seeing #27, my eye was drawn to him and he was playing well. Where the hell did that come from?

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Agreed.

Y'know last year they used him as close to the line last year vs the Ravens in the playoffs and I think that was the thinking here. Be physical and jam the s#it out of receivers.

Oswlek said:

And in those 16 snaps, he made more plays than he had the entire season to date. I'm OK with a little enthusiasm about the performance.

The better question, IMO, is what to make of Tavon Wilson's game. Just by pure surprise at seeing #27, my eye was drawn to him and he was playing well. Where the hell did that come from?

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About Tavon Wilson, I was wondering the same thing. That was so unexpected of him, especially since Harmon emerged. A pleasant surprise. Hopefully it isn't a mere flash in the pan.

Mayo looked really authoritative pushing upfield, beating would-be blockers, and making strong tackles. OTOH, his lateral movement still looks pretty bad- on one play in particular he got smoked on a race to the sideline, which is the kind of play that he used to make. He's no longer the sideline-to-sideline playmaker that he used to be, but that was to be expected, and will matter less when we get Collins back.

My impression is that he's still nowhere near 100%, but there are specific elements of the game that he's getting more comfortable with. He'll probably never be the guy he used to be--nobody comes all the way back from a patellar tendon tear--but if he can be productive even in a more limited role that's fantastic.

Tuck said:

I have been less enthusiastic of his performances this yerar. He looks way undersized to me. Reminds me of an expensive Don Davis at this point.

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T-R-A-J-E-C-T-O-R-Y.

His play is improving every week.

He had a serious injury.

What we seem to be celebrating is that Mayo was very good in the base defense, a defense that we play in frequently. Is that correct?

I would expect Mayo to play in the base when Collins is back.

I told Tunescribe during the game that Mayo was noticeably slow in coverage and whiffed on a couple of chances to make tackles on Tyrod he would have made preinjury. He's back but he's nowhere close to the all pro Jerod Mayo we knew. The Pats desperately need Collins back.