Jerod Mayo: Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater are ‘bridging the gap’ between old and new Patriots
"I would say those guys, they lead by example," Mayo said. "They always have."
Two of the few players left on the Patriots’ roster from when linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was still playing are Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater.
Much has changed since Mayo retired after the 2015 season. The Patriots were in between Super Bowl wins in 2014 and 2016. Slater and McCourty had already made several Pro Bowls by their late 20s.
Now as Mayo enters his fourth season coaching with the Patriots, he says he’s seen Slater and McCourty’s leadership evolve over that time.
“I would say those guys, they lead by example,” Mayo said. “They always have. And I would say over the last four years they’ve both become very vocal. And that was because there was a lack of that voice. They’ve done a great job bridging that gap.”
McCourty leads the safeties, which should be among the team’s strongest position groups this year. He started all 17 games last season, making 60 tackles along with three interceptions.
Head coach Bill Belichick was asked Monday about which position he felt most confident about.
“I’d say the safety group is a pretty impressive group,” Belichick said. “It’s good to see Jabrill [Peppers] out on the field, Devin, AP [Adrian Phillips] and [Kyle] Dugger, who played a lot of football for us last year. And Myles [Bryant] has also played safety for us out of the corner group so between those five guys it’s a pretty deep position.”
Slater, the longest-tenured active player on the roster, is coming off of his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and 10th overall. The special teams ace was voted second-team All-Pro last year.
That experience comes with a wealth of knowledge for younger players to draw from.
“They’ve been through a lot, and they’re a resource for the young guys,” Mayo said. “I think they’ve been great with helping those guys.”
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