How Jerod Mayo Tackled Question Sparked By Bill Belichick Comment

Jerod Mayo stepped into a huge spotlight as Bill Belichick’s successor, which is why fans and media couldn’t help but find ways to compare the current and former New England Patriots head coaches.

Mayo came under scrutiny over his decisions — or sometimes lack thereof — during New England’s 1-4 start. There is a lot of inexperience on the coaching staff with Mayo, Alex Van Pelt and Demarcus Covington in their respective roles for the first time in their careers.

It’s natural for growing pains to occur, and it was interesting to hear Belichick on his “Coach” series explain how important it is for a head coach to have a strong support system. Mayo offered his thoughts on the philosophy.

“Yeah, look, we’re sitting here, and no one’s happy about our record or anything like that,” Mayo told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “I still feel like we as an organization are still going in the right direction. I would say my support system starts with ownership – family and all that stuff aside – but ownership, and I would also throw Slate (Matthew Slater), Eliot (Wolf) and (Matt) Groh in that same world as far as really helping me see through the record and which direction we’re going. They’ve been great for me.”

For as much credit as he got and deserved for the Patriots’ dynasty, fans know there was a lot of help Belichick received throughout his two decades-plus career in Foxboro, Mass. — other than Tom Brady. Belichick’s support system might have been what scared other teams off from hiring him, but they are easily identifiable.

Until wins start coming for Mayo, his support staff will continue to be scrutinized.