Devin McCourty said ‘everybody knows’ Jerod Mayo was once Bill Belichick’s favorite
Tom Brady used to call him "Jerod Belichick." Now, Jerod Mayo is the man who was picked to replace his old coach.
There’s an old clip of Tom Brady and Matt Light floating around on social media where Scott Zolak asks them who had the most clout in the Patriots’ locker room with Bill Belichick.
“I don’t know,” Light said. “I would said that his son, Jerod [Mayo], has pretty good pull.”
Brady laughs and says: “If we want something done, we go to Jerod Belichick.”
Things are different now. Belichick is no longer the Patriots’ head coach. Mayo has been picked as his successor.
Mayo spoke at his introductory press conference about being his own man and not trying to emulate Belichick. He even said that he took time away from the team to work at Optum because he “needed a break from Bill.”
After the press conference, former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said that he did not call Mayo by either of the nicknames Brady and Light used, but could easily see that Mayo was a favorite of Belichick’s.
“Everybody knows that he was Bill’s favorite,” McCourty said. “So, it’s kind of surreal even watching that clip. I don’t know if that was 08′ or 09′ or whatever that was.
“But, watching that clip and now seeing that he’s taking over for Bill next is crazy to think about,” McCourty added. “Who knew this whole time he was training to be the next Belichick of the Patriots? I know that he’s going to be pissed that I said that.”
McCourty said Mayo’s leadership skills made him stand out in the locker room right away. He was a team captain for seven of his eight seasons in New England.
“I think for one, the way he came in, Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mr. Kraft talked about it,” McCourty said. “RKK said it. You’re a captain in your second year. That spoke about not only his leadership, but I think also how he got along with everybody on the team.
“Because, when you get voted as a captain in your second year,” McCourty continued. “Some of the guys you were rookies with last year might vote for you but you still need the older guys, the veterans to vote for you. That just shows how much respect he had from the guys.”
McCourty says there’s a big learning curve ahead for Mayo as a first-year head coach, but that his relationships with players could help establish the culture he wants to build.
“I think the biggest part, too, is that current players enjoy playing for former players,” McCourty said. “They enjoy hearing those old battle stories. They enjoy those guys saying ‘hey, I know where you’re at, I was in your shoes.’ I went to training camp when it was way harder than what you’re doing now.
“All those things make you more relatable and I think most importantly helps you build a culture for a team that will go out there and compete,” said McCourty.
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