Jerod Mayo takes a page out of Bill Belichick’s playbook as he finds a unique way to increase the mental toughness at Patriots practices

The new head coach of the Patriots is hoping to bring back the winning culture back to the team.

Jerod Mayo takes a page out of Bill Belichick’s playbook as he finds a unique way to increase the mental toughness at Patriots practices

Jerod Mayo (via Imago)

The New England Patriots embark onto a new chapter in team history following the departure of Bill Belichick. The greatest coach of all time, had his fair share of methods and strategies to ensure the team remained ahead of the competition, Belichick’s techniques involved putting his players in situations wherein they would be required to mentally dig deep and therefore become resilient even in adverse situations.

Jerod Mayo now intends to continue this legacy of Bill Belichick, the former player for the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, who has moved the start of training camp practice ahead by 90 minutes as per Mike Reiss of ESPN.

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Currently, the Patriots’ practices commence at 9:30 AM ET. However, after the new rule is implemented, the practices will begin at 11:00 AM ET.

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The primary reason for Jerod Mayo’s decision is so that the temperature can rise and the players will get accustomed to playing in hotter conditions. The move is just the first of many steps the head coach intends to take in order to attempt to get back to the winning culture that the Patriots have been known for.

Jerod Mayo faces an uphill task of turning the fortunes of the Patriots around after a disastrous season

Last year, New England won just 4 games. The issue was not the team’s attitude, but the talent pool available. With most of their key talent gone, the Patriots now mostly have younger players who are inexperienced. This season, following the Draft, the team has a solid starter candidate in Drake Maye, however, their woes at the wide receiver position continue.

Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo (via Imago)

On the depth chart, the team has Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Jalen Reagor as their prime receivers. Mayo will thrive defensively, as he too was an elite defensive player and has carved a reputation out for himself as a defensive mastermind.

The real challenge, however, is can he succeed in turning this offense around? After all, while defense may win games, you still need to put some points up on that board apart from field goals.

Realistically, Jerod Mayo has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, yet fans are not certain what to expect from him in his first year. The 2024-25 season will be a precursor of things to come for the organization in years ahead.

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