This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future [merged]

[ctpatsfan77]

DROY Jerod Mayo, today:

"Coming out of college, I had heard horror stories about coming in as a rookie -- guys really wouldn't help you," Mayo said. "I came into the Patriots organization thinking the worst, that these guys weren’t going to help me and they aren't going to want me to play, but it was the exact opposite.

"When I first walked through the door Bruschi was there, [Tom] Brady -- they sat me down and welcomed me. They told me if I needed anything to holler at them and we exchanged numbers. From that day forward the older guys like Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, [Mike] Vrabel, Adalius Thomas -- all of those guys have really taken me under their wing and I tried to learn as much as I can from them, how to be a professional, on and off the field."

. . .

"For the most part, I will be here in Foxborough [this offseason] trying to get better," Mayo said. "It is a nonstop thing for me. Football is my life. I love football. I am going to study this past season, the things I did well and the things I did poorly and try to improve on those things. I feel like there is still a lot of room for me to improve my game. I will meet with the coaches and ask them, 'What can I do to get better?' I'm trying to have a great season next year. Hopefully, make it to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl."

If there's one thing the Patriots do as well as anyone else, it's foster the "One for all, and all for one" mentality.

 

[363839]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

"I will meet with the coaches and ask them, 'What can I do to get better?'"--Jerod Mayo




I'm sure the coaches are going to tell them to keep doing what he's been doing and he will be better.

 

[cblesz]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

DROY Jerod Mayo, today:



If there's one thing the Patriots do as well as anyone else, it's foster the "One for all, and all for one" mentality.

Simly awesome. These quotes make me so proud of the Patriot organization, ownership and coaching staff. What a world class organization.

 

[Watson's IQ]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

That's a kid with his head on straight. I had no doubt of that when he came in, but now paired with his brilliant on-field performance, I am psyched to watch this guy develop into one of the premier LBs in the NFL.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

Identifying skilled athletes who also have the attitude, focus, desire, love for the game, and work ethic evident in those quotes is also something the Patriots do as well or better than anyone else

 

[ScottieC]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

I liked this, "......I could not have done this without the guys in front of me doing what they do, I see this as a TEAM award."

Awesome.

 

[Jackson 2]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

DROY Jerod Mayo, today:



If there's one thing the Patriots do as well as anyone else, it's foster the "One for all, and all for one" mentality.

That's one hell of an evil empire we've got over there in Foxboro...

 

[Hok]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

Mayo is quickly becoming on of my favorite Patriots. Great on the field, and, based on everything he's said and has been said about him, great off the field as well.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

Jerod Mayo = New England Patriot

No talk of bling, no talk about how god blessed him with talent, no "I knew I could do it given the chance" BS. Pure and simple, I'm staying right here to do what I need to do to be even better.

This kid is the real deal. I love his 'tude.

 

[blackglass3]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

Very cool. Hope he's a lifetime Patriot like Bruschi and (hopefully) Brady.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

DROY Jerod Mayo, today:



If there's one thing the Patriots do as well as anyone else, it's foster the "One for all, and all for one" mentality.

But I look at the other side of the coin. Mayo is studying to be the best. That is more than half the battle. It's one thing to have the athletic talent. All pro players are fine athletes. It's discipline and will to utilize that talent, that brings it out.

 

[QuinielaBox]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

I feel good about the chances of our defense improving. They even got better in the secondary as the season rolled along after we lost Rodney Harrison.

 

[billdog3484]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

i just hope that if or when pioli leaves, we continue to bring in the same type of player as mayo. what a player, and class act

 

[condon84]

Re: This is why I'm not worried about the Pats future

Awesome to hear. This guy is truly what Belly and Pioli look for in a player. Makes me wonder how they pooched the punt on Chad Jackson. All the stories about Jackson (acting immature and embarrassing himself at a Pats organized event) and comments he made ("I'm not a special teams type player") is the complete opposite of what Mayo seems like as a person and player.

 

[Absurdly Metro]

Mayo on 2009: "What Can I Do To Get Better?"

With the New Year upon us I found Jerod Mayo's recent comments especially relevant. Regardless of what field we decide to work or play on in 2009, this kind of thinking can help us be the best we can be.

"For the most part, I will be here in Foxborough [this offseason] trying to get better," Mayo said. "It is a nonstop thing for me. Football is my life. I love football. I am going to study this past season, the things I did well and the things I did poorly and try to improve on those things. I feel like there is still a lot of room for me to improve my game. I will meet with the coaches and ask them, 'What can I do to get better?' I'm trying to have a great season next year. Hopefully, make it to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl."

I don't know about you but it's really inspiring to catch a glimpse into what the Patriot way really means. When I watch BB stockpile, not just on-field talent, but players like Mayo with the hunger and a sense of ownership toward their job, team, and maximizing their individual potential, it helps me understand why this team is, and will continue to be, successful.

Is there any doubt that as long as this philosophy is entrenched in Foxboro the Pats will continue to be the team to beat?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

One message that got lost in my original post is this isn't just about Jerod Mayo.

Remember this?

Terrence Wheatley: "We kind of have expectations for each other. We always hold each other accountable. With me and Jonathan, we'll sit there and study a little bit, and I'll ask him some questions and he'll ask me some questions, whatever it may be. Even on the field, we'll ask each other what the call is, and you can hear us talking about the call on the field. That's what we normally do out there."

Or this?

``You can learn so much, (Wes) is probably one of the best guys in the slot in the league right now,'' said Meriweather. ``He always goes hard, he teaches you how to practice. I think that's probably the most important thing I can get from Wes, he's teaching me how to practice. ... Every time you go against him you gotta be ready to go 110 percent.''

And Welker's just one of legions to help the rookie with his game, a group that Rodney Harrison - ``I can't explain how important he is, there aren't words,'' Meriweather says - is a prominent part of.

Or this?

Just the fact that Moss approached him was sort of a can't-believe-this moment for the 27-year-old Welker, who entered the league as a rookie free agent in 2004 and took a long, obstacle-filled road to become one of the NFL's best pass-catchers. Moss, on the other hand, was a first-round draft choice in 1998 who now has six Pro Bowls on his résumé.

"I was talking to my parents about it and I told them, 'This is crazy - Randy is asking me about soccer so he can use it to make him better. We're talking about one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he's asking me?' " recalled Welker, who will be honored in Orlando, Fla., this weekend with the 2008 Pop Warner Inspiration to Youth Award.

Indeed, the two have become close friends over the last year, not to mention one of the NFL's most lethal 1-2 tandems. Welker said they speak regularly about how they can make each other better, which is why it won't be a surprise if the two are kicking soccer balls together on the Gillette Stadium practice field.

"He called me up, told me he had the soccer ball out, and that he and his boys were doing one-on-one work," Welker said. "I'm anxious to do the same."

In other words, it's not about Mayo being a leader, or a willing student, or what not. It's the Patriots fostering a culture where everyone is willing to be both a teacher and a student, and work to make the team better.

As long as that gets passed down, and it appears that the younger players and FAs are getting that message intact, I don't see the Patriots sinking into mediocrity.