FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo looked toward the group of memorabilia-toting Patriots fans that typically gathers behind the end zone after training camp practices. It’s a spot visited daily by players who head over to sign autographs.
Except on this day, the second camp session for the Pats, their new head coach strolled over to join them. Mayo made small talk with some of the fans and signed the autograph he got accustomed to doling out as a first-round pick in 2008 and the NFL’s leading tackler in 2010.
A new sight: the head coach of the Patriots signing autographs. pic.twitter.com/GhvD4ppZdu
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) July 25, 2024
For a lot of teams, that wouldn’t be news. You could argue it doesn’t even move the needle for the Patriots amid much more pressing questions about how they’ll improve on their four-win performance of a year ago. But it was certainly a head-turning moment given the stark contrast with Bill Belichick, who was typically quick to leave the practice fields and move on to studying video of the session.
Mayo’s fan interactions aren’t going to win the Patriots any additional games. The things he does differently from Belichick won’t matter if the Patriots don’t win. But it was just another sign of how different things feel in the post-Belichick era.
Here are some of the other changes the team made to training camp, plus a few takeaways from the second practice of the summer.
New start time
Mayo learned from Belichick as a player and came up as a coach under him. But that doesn’t mean he’ll do everything like Belichick did.
One of the first changes Mayo made to the camp schedule was when practice started. Belichick preferred early sessions, usually starting around 9:30 a.m. He liked that players came right into the facility and got to work, then had meetings afterward to go over what they should prep for or change the following day.
Under Mayo, training camp practices begin at 11. The later start allows the Patriots to have meetings before practice rather than late in the day. Mayo’s hope is that it’s easier for players to take what they learn in the meeting room straight out onto the field.
“Honestly, I think the guys appreciate that,” Mayo said. “They want to make sure that they tighten all the screws and know exactly what to do on the field so their athleticism can take over. That was the mindset. … When you look at those earlier practices, it just takes a lot of time the night before, and you don’t know if those guys really retain it the next day. I wanted to give those guys the opportunity to brush up before they went on the field.”
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Another change from Belichick
The other obvious departure from the Belichick era is the music that plays throughout practice.
“That helps the time go by as well,” Mayo said. “It gets the guys excited. It gets the guys pumped.”
Mayo said the team’s unnamed offseason award winners will choose the playlist for practice. Belichick played music during various portions of practice (like stretching or 11-on-11 periods when he wanted to simulate crowd noise), but it wasn’t a constant throughout sessions.
Involved on both sides of the ball
One similarity between Mayo and Belichick is how they walk through a practice. Unlike some coaches who tend to stick with one side of the ball, Mayo, like Belichick used to, has spent time with both the offensive and defensive units at the first two practices.
“I’m a floater,” Mayo said. “Look, I’m supposed to spend most of my time on the defensive side, but at the same time, I’ll definitely make my way over there (to the offense).”
Even though Mayo was a de facto defensive coordinator in recent years (alongside Belichick’s son, Steve), he wanted his defensive coordinator, DeMarcus Covington, to have full play-calling duties so he could be more of a CEO-type coach who works at various points with all position groups.
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An interesting starting O-line
The first two days of training camp revealed a somewhat surprising first-team offensive line for the Patriots. Even after rewarding Mike Onwenu with the type of lucrative deal typically reserved for offensive tackles, the Pats have had Onwenu at right guard the first two practices. With him there, the team’s starting tackles have been Chukwuma Okorafor on the left side and Calvin Anderson or Vederian Lowe on the right.
Mayo insisted that’s because the team is trying to “put the best five players out there,” but it does raise some interesting questions.
Onwenu played well as a right tackle at the end of last season and got paid like a tackle — a more premium position in the NFL than guard. His contract’s annual value of $19 million would rank as the 10th-highest among tackles in the league, but fourth-highest among guards.
So if the Patriots do indeed leave Onwenu at guard, they’re spending a lot of money at a position that isn’t as important as tackle, instead trusting Okorafor, Anderson and Lowe at the more vital outside spots.
Maye’s scrambling
In what should come as no surprise, the Patriots defense has been ahead of the offense through two days. That’s typical of most training camps, and it’s certainly expected for a New England team that hopes its defense can be a top-five unit this fall.
It has been difficult for the Patriots quarterbacks to hit on downfield passes, and the pass rush has consistently beaten the offensive line, making things tougher for the signal callers.
Still, rookie Drake Maye’s scrambling and ability to extend plays has been notable through the first several days of camp. He has made more than a few plays with his legs and seems capable of buying extra time behind a struggling offensive line.
(Photo: Eric Canha / USA Today)