Ex-Patriots SB champion asserts New England players won’t be ‘fearing for their life’ like they used to do under Bill Belichick in Jerod Mayo’s leadership

Chris Hogan predicted Jerod Mayo’s coaching approach to be more “laid back,” in comparison to Bill Belichick's.

Ex-Patriots SB champion asserts New England players won’t be ‘fearing for their life’ like they used to do under Bill Belichick in Jerod Mayo’s leadership

Chris Hogan on Patriots' locker room scene with Jerod Mayo after Bill Belichick (Via Imago/MassLive)

The New England Patriots lost their edge the day they lost the legend, Tom Brady from their team. Although Bill Belichick had been confident he didn’t need the quarterback, all three seasons after Brady have been nothing but disappointment. And therefore, the franchise took the bold step and fired the head coach, who had been with them for the past 24 years. 

After Belichick’s departure, the first step towards the team’s rejuvenation was promoting Jerod Mayo to the head coach position. He will not be only filling in the shoes of Belichick, but also changing the entire dynamic of the locker. The 71-year-old was believed to have a very unique coaching style in which he never hesitated to call out his players and demand the extreme best of them.  

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While talking about the Patriots and their new head coach, two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hogan opened up about what was it like to be coached by the legendary head coach, Belichick, during his recent appearance on the Up & Adams podcast hosted by Kay Adams. 

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I can't even imagine what the meeting room was like on Monday when they came back to the offseason with someone else standing up in front of that room, and everyone probably not like actually fearing for their life to be called on by Bill.
Chris Hogan said

Hogan predicted Mayo’s coaching approach to be more “laid back,” in comparison to Belichick’s. He referred to the latter’s coaching era as unpleasant and says as the former took over, the locker room vibe would have been afresh. 

Jerod Mayo’s approach to rejuvenate the Patriots’ roster

When Mayo took over, he didn’t immediately start decluttering the Patriots’ roster. He knew, even though they finished last season poorly at a 4-13 record, they still had leading players in the team. 

Jerod Mayo with Patriots' owner Robert Kraft
Jerod Mayo with Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft (Via MSNBC Sports)

Therefore, they re-signed six such players off the free agency market. They signed Kyle Dugger in a four-year deal; Mike Onweno, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and Anfernee Jennings in three-year deals; and Josh Uche in a one-year deal. 

Meanwhile, they also have a No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft. However, Mayo had previously stated that he was open to a trade deal if offered a satisfactory one. 

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