Mayo's Intoductory Press Conference

[Horace's Ivories]

So you’re saying he was chosen because he was black. You know you can say “I don’t think he is experienced enough” without baselessly crying that it’s a racial hire and using cringe terms like ‘woke’.

That's fine but I am not sure how baseless my woke comment was.

 

[Ring 6]

I meant in terms of his overall vision and his philosophy. They deflected on the GM/coordinator questions, albeit Kraft was actually more direct when it came to being asked about his role in personnel decisions.

At the same time, the fact O'Brien's gone shows you they're serious about not sticking with the status quo. Everyone in here wants them to shake things up, and that's obviously the direction they're heading in. Obviously, we won't really know what that means until we see/hear more there, but it's clear changes are coming.

I didn’t hear any philosophy. They asked a guy who has been on the catching staff for 5 years and just made HC how far he felt they were from being competitive and he said he is evaluating. They asked how does the offense need to improve and he rambled into something about the weight room.
Just me, but he sounded like a guy without any real plan but a lot of euphemisms and nicknames.

 

[Ring 6]

People can recognize it, but it's surprising that some of it is being said given that none of these were sudden decisions and that - especially from the Glaser move - are new. Meier's been here forever and Glaser isn't new either.

I’m not sure sudden is relevant. I just think that when half the country feels special treatment for certain identities has gone overboard, it’s odd that someone would point out a view that opposes theirs is “embarrassing”.

 

[Ring 6]

People can recognize it, but it's surprising that some of it is being said given that none of these were sudden decisions and that - especially from the Glaser move - are new. Meier's been here forever and Glaser isn't new either.

And btw the guy who recognized us was called baselessly crying and accused of using “cringe words”

 

[Kdo5]

That's fine but I am not sure how baseless my woke comment was.

I’ve seen a number of more unqualified people getting jobs they don’t deserve the past few years within the organization under Bill.

Maybe Kraft thinks he is the best man for the job? That he is a damn good coach, successfully ran the defense against the backdrop of a horrific offense, and that he has the respect and favor of the players.

But your first conclusion is that it was purely a racial hire. No consideration for the other reasons. It’s interesting.

 

[jdlboot14]

Point is - Mayo is a logical, consistent, highly-valued hire for HC of the Patriots.
I believe he has excellent character and qualities and I'm happy for him, and hope for the very best.
But his statement has us all talking about race in football again. Is that progress?

The NFL integrated black players before the US military officially did! Sports is meant to be a meritocracy if there ever was one.
The NFL is an organization that has brought unity and equality to black (and all qualified) people, creating more wealth opportunity for many thousands of black players than any other industry per capita, and we're suddenly being told that we should revert back to look at color to provide opportunity?

That is why "woke" is mentioned - because that ideology wants to replace equality with equity.

 

[Ian]

I didn’t hear any philosophy. They asked a guy who has been on the catching staff for 5 years and just made HC how far he felt they were from being competitive and he said he is evaluating. They asked how does the offense need to improve and he rambled into something about the weight room.
Just me, but he sounded like a guy without any real plan but a lot of euphemisms and nicknames.

Then you missed out. There was a tremendous amount of insight there:

Some notable ones:

“One thing you’ll notice about me in our interaction as we continue to go, is I don’t like echo chambers. I want people around me that are going to question my ideas or question the way we have done things in the past. Because realistically, this game is a lot different from when I was drafted in 2008. At the same time, that’s why I try to spend so much time in developing young men and young women. I don’t want to teach them what to think, I want to teach them how to think. And once we get to that point, I think we can get back to where we need to be, at the top.”

--

"One thing I would say with all of my coaches, the number one thing is developing people, and with this generation -- back when I first started playing, most of the time Coach would say something and guys would do it. I think with this generation, you have to show them that you care about them before you get into competency as far as Xs and Os are concerned. That's one thing I feel like with all my coaches, they should know the players. They should know their room better than I do. They're closer. They're closer to those guys, and they have that day-to-day interaction. But to me, whether we're talking offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, all that stuff is under eval, and my number one thing is I want to bring in developers."

*The above sort of addresses the number one complaint most of us have had - the focus moving forward is on trying to do a better job when it comes to developing players
--

"I think titles are important, and I know -- no knock to Coach Belichick who has been a huge mentor to me over the years as a player and as a colleague, what I would say is I believe titles are important outward-looking, but as far as in the building, I don't care what your title is. It's what's your job, what value do you bring to the organization. I think that's the most important thing. Sometimes I think in business, in sports, people get caught up in titles, but I also understand the other side. If you want to continue to get promoted, people have to know exactly what you do. But like I said earlier, inside, it's all about collaboration. That's what thunder talked about, and that's what I'm about, as well."

*The discussion of titles here has come up on quite a few occasions. Clearly, there will be more transparency there moving forward.

--

"One thing I learned from Coach and from [Kraft] is about just surrounding yourself with good people, surrounding yourself with good people. As far as our staff and things like that, we're going to be good. We're going to be a lot better. Bill always says this, managing expectations. For me, I'm not trying to be Bill. I'm not trying to be Bill. I think that Bill is his own man. If you can't tell by now, I'm a little bit different even up here. But what I will say is the more I think about lessons I've taken from Bill, hard work works. Hard work works, and that's what we're all about."

*The "hard work works" I thought was a fitting comment, and tells you he's similar to Belichick there.

--

"Our philosophy has to be flexible. We're talking about on the field philosophy, but there's also a philosophy in the building, like when you want out of the people who are really leading the team. One thing I believe in, when I talk about leadership, most people think it's like a chess board and a guy moving pieces on the board. I really don't believe that to be correct as far as developing leaders. I think of it more as gardening. Gardeners really don't grow anything. They just make sure the soil is right. They grab the weeds out there, they water it, whatever, and that's how what grows, grows. That's how I approach leadership. We've talked about it before, but collaboration is huge. I want to just water seeds. Right now we're in the evaluation process where we are planting seeds. We are planting seeds, and hopefully that will lead to the next dynasty here with the Kraft family."

*Again, that tells you that developing guys around him is also important.

And those are just a few things. Listening to him say it in real time also provides more than a transcript, and I was impressed by what I heard and saw from him.

 

[Ian]

I’m not sure sudden is relevant. I just think that when half the country feels special treatment for certain identities has gone overboard, it’s odd that someone would point out a view that opposes theirs is “embarrassing”.

Sudden is relevant. These aren't new hires. So it doesn't fit that narrative. I mean, Bill originally hired the guy who developed well enough to be under consideration for not only this job, but elsewhere, which is why they moved to keep him here. Same thing way back with Romeo Crennel, Brian Flores, etc. Mayo just happened to be the next man up.

 

[archstanton543]

The NFL integrated black players before the US military officially did!

Woodrow Wilson segregated the military and then they had to desegregate it later.

 

[Horace's Ivories]

I’ve seen a number of more unqualified people getting jobs they don’t deserve the past few years within the organization under Bill.

Not sure who but we are talking HC here - deserves a higher level of consideration.

Maybe Kraft thinks he is the best man for the job? That he is a damn good coach, successfully ran the defense against the backdrop of a horrific offense, and that he has the respect and favor of the players.

But your first conclusion is that it was purely a racial hire. No consideration for the other reasons. It’s interesting.

No honestly it wasn't my first thought. I was not at all impressed by he or Kraft at the press conference - I also didnt realize how little experience he had - no one else even being considered for the job.

 

[Kdo5]

Point is - Mayo is a logical, consistent, highly-valued hire for HC of the Patriots.
I believe he has excellent character and qualities and I'm happy for him, and hope for the very best.
But his statement has us all talking about race in football again. Is that progress?

The NFL integrated black players before the US military officially did! Sports is meant to be a meritocracy if there ever was one.
The NFL is an organization that has brought unity and equality to black (and all qualified) people, creating more wealth opportunity for many thousands of black players than any other industry per capita, and we're suddenly being told that we should revert back to look at color to provide opportunity?

That is why "woke" is mentioned - because that ideology wants to replace equality with equity.

We’ve been through this. Racism is still a problem permeating society and it won’t fade by “just don’t talk about it”. That’s unrealistic and we all know that. Jerod is well within his right to use his platform to make a note of it. He’s likely better equipped to speak on the matter than you or I.

He said nothing offensive. He said something thoughtful, even if you might disagree. Instead of accepting that and moving on, you guys flipped the **** out.

If he keeps talking about every press conference then I’ll be annoyed with you guys but that’s not what it was. Some people chose to act like the presser was proof that Mayo was coming in armed with a “woke agenda” to install an all black regime without merit.

It’s just ugly.

 

[Ring 6]

Then you missed out. There was a tremendous amount of insight there:

Some notable ones:

“One thing you’ll notice about me in our interaction as we continue to go, is I don’t like echo chambers. I want people around me that are going to question my ideas or question the way we have done things in the past. Because realistically, this game is a lot different from when I was drafted in 2008. At the same time, that’s why I try to spend so much time in developing young men and young women. I don’t want to teach them what to think, I want to teach them how to think. And once we get to that point, I think we can get back to where we need to be, at the top.”

--

"One thing I would say with all of my coaches, the number one thing is developing people, and with this generation -- back when I first started playing, most of the time Coach would say something and guys would do it. I think with this generation, you have to show them that you care about them before you get into competency as far as Xs and Os are concerned. That's one thing I feel like with all my coaches, they should know the players. They should know their room better than I do. They're closer. They're closer to those guys, and they have that day-to-day interaction. But to me, whether we're talking offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, all that stuff is under eval, and my number one thing is I want to bring in developers."

*The above sort of addresses the number one complaint most of us have had - the focus moving forward is on trying to do a better job when it comes to developing players
--

"I think titles are important, and I know -- no knock to Coach Belichick who has been a huge mentor to me over the years as a player and as a colleague, what I would say is I believe titles are important outward-looking, but as far as in the building, I don't care what your title is. It's what's your job, what value do you bring to the organization. I think that's the most important thing. Sometimes I think in business, in sports, people get caught up in titles, but I also understand the other side. If you want to continue to get promoted, people have to know exactly what you do. But like I said earlier, inside, it's all about collaboration. That's what thunder talked about, and that's what I'm about, as well."

*The discussion of titles here has come up on quite a few occasions. Clearly, there will be more transparency there moving forward.

--

"One thing I learned from Coach and from [Kraft] is about just surrounding yourself with good people, surrounding yourself with good people. As far as our staff and things like that, we're going to be good. We're going to be a lot better. Bill always says this, managing expectations. For me, I'm not trying to be Bill. I'm not trying to be Bill. I think that Bill is his own man. If you can't tell by now, I'm a little bit different even up here. But what I will say is the more I think about lessons I've taken from Bill, hard work works. Hard work works, and that's what we're all about."

*The "hard work works" I thought was a fitting comment, and tells you he's similar to Belichick there.

--

"Our philosophy has to be flexible. We're talking about on the field philosophy, but there's also a philosophy in the building, like when you want out of the people who are really leading the team. One thing I believe in, when I talk about leadership, most people think it's like a chess board and a guy moving pieces on the board. I really don't believe that to be correct as far as developing leaders. I think of it more as gardening. Gardeners really don't grow anything. They just make sure the soil is right. They grab the weeds out there, they water it, whatever, and that's how what grows, grows. That's how I approach leadership. We've talked about it before, but collaboration is huge. I want to just water seeds. Right now we're in the evaluation process where we are planting seeds. We are planting seeds, and hopefully that will lead to the next dynasty here with the Kraft family."

*Again, that tells you that developing guys around him is also important.

And those are just a few things. Listening to him say it in real time also provides more than a transcript, and I was impressed by what I heard and saw from him.

I guess we disagree on substance.
I won’t get into each item, but will say a HC saying you have to price to a player you care about them before you expect them to do what you say is really scary.
I guess we just see it differently, which is fine.

 

[Kdo5]

Not sure who but we are talking HC here - deserves a higher level of consideration.

No honestly it wasn't my first thought. I was not at all impressed by he or Kraft at the press conference - I also didnt realize how little experience he had - no one else even being considered for the job.

Have you ever watched an introductory press conference? What the heck were you expecting to be blown away with an instant road map presented in ten minutes on how to fix this gigantic mess that he has inherited.

Let’s see what he’s saying and doing in the offseason.

 

[Ian]

I guess we disagree on substance.
I won’t get into each item, but will say a HC saying you have to price to a player you care about them before you expect them to do what you say is really scary.
I guess we just see it differently, which is fine.

That's all you took out of that? He emphasized focusing on the development of players, which has obviously been an issue here we've all complained about in various circumstances. Same thing with the lack of continuity within the coaching staff and creating/developing more qualified people around him. That and he talked about the fact he didn't want an echo chamber and essentially doesn't want "yes" men - something other people also talked about with Bill. Again, among other things.

 

[Thunderhead]

The more I think about this off season the worse I feel about it. 100% would have preferred to keep Bill if I knew they would go this route. Absolutely unreal that they hired HC before GM. The Krafts are running the show a la Jerry Jones.

 

[Ring 6]

Sudden is relevant. These aren't new hires. So it doesn't fit that narrative. I mean, Bill originally hired the guy who developed well enough to be under consideration for not only this job, but elsewhere, which is why they moved to keep him here. Same thing way back with Romeo Crennel, Brian Flores, etc. Mayo just happened to be the next man up.

There is no narrative. Mayo introduced racism, diversity and making decisions based upon it to the conversation.
For my 2 cents, the best people should get the job. Any other considerations do not help the football team. Kraft tried to say that, and Mayo shot him down.
I could not care less if every single player coach etc were white, black, Asian, Martian, I care about the success of the team. People are pointing out that the appearance arose that other considerations are involved and they shouldn’t be called baseless and cringeworthy. Thats where I came in.

 

[Horace's Ivories]

I guess we disagree on substance.
I won’t get into each item, but will say a HC saying you have to price to a player you care about them before you expect them to do what you say is really scary.
I guess we just see it differently, which is fine.

Yes - "prove to a player you care" that comment stood out to me - not ideal IMO

 

[Ian]

There is no narrative. Mayo introduced racism, diversity and making decisions based upon it to the conversation.
For my 2 cents, the best people should get the job. Any other considerations do not help the football team. Kraft tried to say that, and Mayo shot him down.
I could not care less if every single player coach etc were white, black, Asian, Martian, I care about the success of the team. People are pointing out that the appearance arose that other considerations are involved and they shouldn’t be called baseless and cringeworthy. Thats where I came in.

Again, you heard one thing and missed the real point of what he said, which was based on his time at Optum:

"One thing I came back with, I learned a lot at Optum. Larry Renfrow, Mike Matteo, those guys, I learned a lot about diversity, about diversity and inclusion. You'd better believe being the first Black coach here in New England means a lot to me. But those guys taught me you have to take ideas from other people, Black, white, green, yellow. Really doesn't matter. Old, young."

That meant that he believes in taking - and seeking - input from everybody, regardless of their race/background/age.

The next thing he said more or less confirms that:

"One thing you'll notice about me in our interaction as we continue to go, is I don't like echo chambers. I want people around me that are going to question my ideas or yes question the way we have done things in the past because realistically this game is a lot different than when I was drafted in 2008. "

"At the same time, that's why I try to spend so much time developing young men and young women. I don't want to teach them what to think, I want to teach them how to think. Once we get to that point, I think we can get back to where we need to be, at the top. I'm an open book. I'm honored. I'm ready to go. I'm excited to be the next head coach of the Patriots."

 

[Thunderhead]

There is no narrative. Mayo introduced racism, diversity and making decisions based upon it to the conversation.
For my 2 cents, the best people should get the job. Any other considerations do not help the football team. Kraft tried to say that, and Mayo shot him down.
I could not care less if every single player coach etc were white, black, Asian, Martian, I care about the success of the team. People are pointing out that the appearance arose that other considerations are involved and they shouldn’t be called baseless and cringeworthy. Thats where I came in.

Yea, Mayo is the only one making a big deal out of it. I preferred Todd Bowles' comments when he was asked a similar question regarding Tomlin.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

He has 0 Head Coach Experience and only 5 years in a support role.. Maybe I am wrong - we will see.

Every head coach ever, started his first job with ne experience as a HC. Otherwise you're just recycling other HCs.