Jerod Mayo vs NYJ: Only One Snap (that didn't count)

[Brady_to_Moss]

Don't think his knee is all there yet

 

[voluntarysaftey]

I think Mayo was overrated by many people on this board (as happens with a lot of Patriots players).
Mayo was considered one of the best LBs in the league.

I saw him as 'above average starter' -- he made his tackles but wasn't a game changer.

I imagine if he's still injured, that he'd have been inactive.

So either the injuries turned him from 'good' to 'poor' (or great to poor as many people here thought), and his contract was a huge waste as we didn't get anything out of him since he signed with 3 lost seasons.

Or he's not injured, but it'll take some time for him to get his muscle/strength back and hopefully by January he's back to being 'good' -- which will still make it a bad contract overall but atleast not a total waste.

 

[PatsBoy12]

This injury is a tough one, Victor Cruz didn't even come back yet and he's younger.

Yeah, that's what is getting lost in all this talk of his deterioration. We really don't know what Mayo has left because he is not at full strength. We're lucky he's even been on the field at all. Someone else noted that this move could be because of the next game being so soon, and I would not disagree with that either. I don't think Mayo is "done." Will he be the same, who knows? But I think he can still play and he's not at the end just yet. He just has to get that knee fully healthy. Remember, people were saying Revis was done in Tampa Bay.

 

[nabwong]

I hope he can become a coach here.

 

[Rob0729]

With Victor Cruz having the same injury and getting it around the same time and has yet to be activated, I am not giving up on Mayo yet.

 

[BobDigital]

Sad to see Mayo be like this. I am not for cutting him at this point unless it allows us to get a big name OT or CB. Otherwise let him ride out his last year here. A final salute to a player who has done well for you in the past. I hope he can leave after getting a few tackles in the super bowl and getting a ring.

Mankins, Wilfork, Mayo - 3 great Patriots will probably be leaving back to back to back. Talk about changing of the guard.

 

[patfanken]

This is the Patriots and the number of snaps you get is a great indication of how you are playing and where you stand in the depth chart. Based on this week, which looked like a game we would need him (heavy run team and an injured Hightower), he didn't get a look. I don't think he is even seeing seeing many ST's snaps.

In my mind it is HAS to be due to a drop off in his athleticism due to his injuries. Up to that time May has been a key element in the Pats D, and in my opinion massively underrated by the media and fans. He had even been involved in more "big plays", the big complaint of media and fans, in recent years.

It isn't his original athleticism. He was a 4.5 sideline to sideline player for the first 7 ears of his career. It isn't his intelligence or leadership, since he was an obvious presence on the team right up to the superbowl. It isn't his age, since he's only 29 and should have 2 or 3 more seasons near his prime.
So the only reason for his lack of playing time and his position on the depth chart is a drop off in playing ability due to his coming back from an injury.

Thus we are left with 2 questions that need to be answered. Can this drop off be turned around with time or is it permanent and he's done? Second, if it can be improved, why wasn't he simply put on the PUP while he heals?

I'm speculating that the Pats felt he would get back to what we've come to expect faster by not being on the PUP and knew in advance we wouldn't be playing 3 LB's much, so gave him a roster spot. If they prove to be wrong and he can't come to full strength before the end of the season, they'll either release him in March, or give him a shot to come back on a heavily incentive filled renegotiated contract.

BTW- I'm glad Bostic has been seeing some success on special teams, but this guy was a starter for most of his career and it's been with the team for a few weeks now. Anyone else a bit surprised he hasn't seen any defensive team snaps so far?

 

[condon84]

unfortunately for mayo, missing almost 2 years in a row meant we got to see hightower and collins evolve into some top tier players.

It sucks, but the team is better with him on the sideline at the moment.

Hightower is the player we all wanted Mayo to be.

 

[50-yard-line]

BTW- I'm glad Bostic has been seeing some success on special teams, but this guy was a starter for most of his career and it's been with the team for a few weeks now. Anyone else a bit surprised he hasn't seen any defensive team snaps so far?

Yeah, I've been a bit surprised by that, too. Maybe Thursday night?

 

[Marinlik]

I think Mayo was overrated by many people on this board (as happens with a lot of Patriots players).
Mayo was considered one of the best LBs in the league.

I saw him as 'above average starter' -- he made his tackles but wasn't a game changer.

I imagine if he's still injured, that he'd have been inactive.

So either the injuries turned him from 'good' to 'poor' (or great to poor as many people here thought), and his contract was a huge waste as we didn't get anything out of him since he signed with 3 lost seasons.

Or he's not injured, but it'll take some time for him to get his muscle/strength back and hopefully by January he's back to being 'good' -- which will still make it a bad contract overall but atleast not a total waste.

I think that his contract would have been good if it weren't for the injuries. They couldn't have predicted that he would end up on IR two years in a row early in the season. With that said, I think that the contract restructure was a bad move, and that they should have released him instead, if we could without cap penalty(don't remember when he passed a physical)

I think that he's absolutely still affected by the last injury. Injuries sometimes slow players down a lot even after they've healed, and I think that's what happened. So I don't think he will be his old self again. His injury is something that can hit players really hard, and he's not exactly at the prime age of recovery.

 

[chasa]

Hightower is the player we all wanted Mayo to be.

I'd say hightower is the player mayo WAS, prior to injury and age.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

It sucks, but the team is better with him on the sideline at the moment.

i don't know if I agree with this. we have yet to see mayo, collins and hightower play a lot together.

 

[JackBauer]

Mayo was considered one of the best LBs in the league.

That's because, at his peak, he was. The primary indictment I've seen levied against him is that he wasn't a "game changer," though that argument has always been dubious at best.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm glad Bostic has been seeing some success on special teams, but this guy was a starter for most of his career and it's been with the team for a few weeks now. Anyone else a bit surprised he hasn't seen any defensive team snaps so far?

I am more surprised that Mayo is not seeing time and Freeney is getting snaps over him.

Not sure of the reason Freeney > Bostic. Maybe he still needs a little more study time.

 

[Joey007]

It's too bad. I don't think we cut ties with him this year though unless we trade for a CB. For one we don't know if he's still recovering, and he also is still a good mentor on this team.

It's just really sad to see him struggle like this considering the injuries he has had.

 

[RobertWeathers]

i don't know if I agree with this. we have yet to see mayo, collins and hightower play a lot together.

BB agrees with @chasa

The fact is vs Indy Mayo did look sluggish.

 

[condon84]

I'd say hightower is the player mayo WAS, prior to injury and age.

And I will disagree. While Mayo was solid and great at lining everybody where they were supposed to be, he never was the impact player Hightower is now.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

BB agrees with @chasa

The fact is vs Indy Mayo did look sluggish.

he hasn't played a lot either. look at lafell yesterday - completely rusty.

 

[RobertWeathers]

he hasn't played a lot either. look at lafell yesterday - completely rusty.

Could be that however Mayo has had 95 defensive snaps thus far. To compare him to JoJo who yesterday saw live action for the first time this year and plays a completely different position with different requirements of timing, etc might not be a good comparison.

 

[aluminum seats]

Well, the hope is obviously that he's not completely recovered yet and will improve.

It would be helpful for him to get more snaps to give Collins & Hightower a rest now and then, otherwise we're looking at the Nink/Jones scenario of past years.