Patriots News 1-21, Lots Of Work To Be Done On Mayo’s Staff
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 6 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 6 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports) Good morning, and Happy Divisional Weekend for the playoffs. But in our podcast this week, we gave our thoughts on who would come out on top this weekend. My picks from that are below.
I received a couple of messages this week asking why I was excited about Mayo being the head coach. First of all, although we knew Belichick couldn’t coach forever, we all also knew that his retirement isn’t far away. The Patriots made the decision to move on, and while I wanted Bill to continue to coach the Patriots, it is now done, and it is time to move on, right or wrong.
I like Jerod Mayo as both a player and a coach. He was known as a very smart player and like a coach on the field. He was described as an “old soul” by Tedy Bruschi, meaning wise beyond his years. Tom Brady referred to Mayo as “Jerod Belichick.” And not in a condescending way.
But we’ll get to all of that below.
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:
Bill Belichick: The former Patriots head coach is reportedly expected to sign a contract to be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The owner of the Falcons, Arthur Blank, flew Belichick to an interview with him on his yacht off the coast of Antigua. He then flew Belichick to Atlanta for a second interview on Thursday.
CBS’ NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported that Belichick will meet with CEO Rich McKay this weekend. While all signs point to Belichick signing a deal with the Falcons soon, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is also conducting a second interview with Atlanta.
Kirk Cousins: The Minnesota QB is a free agent when the new league year begins in March, and he had some interesting things to say about the possibility of playing for Bill Belichick.
CBS Sports’ Isabel Gonzalez interviewed Cousins and asked him if he’d ever want to play for Belichick.
“I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach, but we’ll have to see where March leads,” Cousins said. “It’s just a lot of unknowns right now.”
This would make an intriguing match. Atlanta has a solid team but lacks a QB. Cousins would immediately upgrade the position and was married in Atlanta, where his wife is from. This will certainly be an area to watch in the coming months.
Robyn Glaser: The Patriots announced that Glaser, who has worked for the Krafts and the Patriots for several years in varying capacities, has a new title, per NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry, executive vice president of football business and senior advisor to the head coach.
According to Perry, “She is helping facilitate contracts and hammering out language in contracts. She’s not negotiating player contracts.”
Perry and Tom E. Curran added that she’ll take on many of the responsibilities that Berj Najarian had with Bill Belichick.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: In our PatsFans.com podcast, this week, we discussed the latest news out of Foxboro.
Derek Havens and I discussed the hiring of Jerod Mayo, how he came across in his introductory press conference, and what would be his next moves about hiring his coaching staff.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position…this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Area 51 News: Jerod Mayo’s Coaching Staff Is Next —
The Patriots’ new head coach has to start forming his new staff for 2024. And first on the list has to be the coordinators, offense, defense, and special teams. It has been reported that Bill O’Brien is leaving the Patriots to become the offensive coordinator for Ohio State. So, he’s out of the picture.
With Josh McDaniels being visible in the area recently for Bill Belichick and possibly Matthew Slater’s final games in New England, one has to wonder if he will follow Belichick to wherever he lands or will he come back to New England as the OC?
The biggest factor of McDaniels is longevity on the job. It is doubtful anyone will be offering him a head coaching job in the NFL anytime soon, perhaps ever. So, he’ll be able to stick around for the foreseeable future to whatever offense he gets hired by.
The team could still opt for an outside coordinator to come in. Among the names to keep an eye include, but are obviously not limited to:
Zac Robinson, Passing game coordinator – Rams: Robinson was a teammate of Mayo’s in New England in 2010 and has gotten a lot of experience working with Sean McVay. The offense would probably look very different with Robinson at the helm, but he’s an intriguing prospect.
Wes Welker, WRs coach – Dolphins: Another teammate of Mayo’s, Welker had an ugly breakup with Belichick when he left for Denver, but he may very well be welcomed back. One downside to Welker is that he never has worked with QBs.
Klint Kubiak, Passing game coordinator – 49ers: Kubiak has been a QBs coach and OC in Minnesota, the QBs coach and Passing game coordinator with Denver, and now holds the same title with the 49ers.
Shane Waldron, Offensive Coordinator – Seahawks: Another coach who cut his teeth in New England as a coaching intern, he’s been the OC for Seattle for three years but is now unemployed as Seattle has let Pete Carroll go.
On Defense, it was reported that Mayo offered Steve and Brian Belichick positions with the team if they decide to remain in New England. But they may also follow their dad to the next stop in their careers. Steve would obviously be a worthy candidate for the DC position. He’s been on the staff here for 12 years, and he and Mayo have split up the responsibilities as well as grown very close.
Some other potential DCs include:
DeMarcus Covington, Defensive Line Coach – Patriots: Covington has done a superb job as the DLine coach for Bill Belichick. He’s been with the team for seven years as a coaching intern, outside linebacker coach, and the DLine. If Steve Belichick opts to go with Bill, Covington would be my first choice as a DC. However, if Steve B. remains, the team risks losing him elsewhere.
Christian Parker, Defensive Backs Coach – Denver: Parker is only 32 and has been labeled as a fast riser. Denver DC Vance Joseph said: “He’s sharp, man,” Joseph was quoted by Broncos Wire. “He’s sharp. He’s a star. He is a great partner to work with. … He’s smart, he works his butt off, and his players love playing for him. He’s a star.” He has interviewed for the job.
Michael Hodges, Linebackers Coach – Saints: Hodges is another young guy at just 37, but comes with some high regard from his own team. Hodges started with the Saints under Sean Payton but has found favor with Dennis Allen as well. He was brought in for an interview.
Tem Lukabu, Outside Linebackers Coach – Panthers: Lukabu, 42, was interviewed for the DC position by the Patriots. Prior to joining Frank Reich in Carolina, he was the Boston College DC for three years, where the Eagles had one of the better defenses in the ACC. In 2021, the Eagles were the third-rated pass defense in the nation.
Special Teams have been a thorn in the team’s side for the past few seasons. And it is doubtful that either Joe Judge or Cam Achord will return in 2024. The team has conducted interviews with New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, Atlanta Falcons’ special teams coordinator Marquice Williams, and Los Angeles Rams’ special teams assistant Jeremy Springer.
Saturday Games:
Baltimore over Houston
San Francisco over Green Bay
Sunday Day Games:
Buffalo over Kansas City
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Last Week 5—1
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
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“I think it’s important. 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 and 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.
Jerod Mayo, Patriots’ head coach, on why he feels titles are important.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Stitcher and Streamyard as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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