The New England Patriots are officially headed into a new era of football, with the team parting ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick after 24 years and six Super Bowl titles won during that time period.
With the team moving on from Belichick after another disappointing season, the Patriots have decided to make a familiar face Belichick’s successor, as the team chose to ignore the intriguing head coaches available on the open market to hire first-timer Jerod Mayo.
Mayo will have some enormous shoes to fill as he takes on his first head coaching gig in the NFL, and he and the organization have already taken a strong approach to NFL free agency by making some bold moves.
One of those moves was bringing in former Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson, who recently opened up about his first meeting with Mayo, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
“Definitely a different vibe from a head coach, just from the one day I met him … it sounded like he was talking to one of the guys. I feel like that’s something that might be a positive thing in the locker room for him to be able to relate and communicate like that, and kind of understanding both sides of it,” Gibson said.
RB Antonio Gibson on his first meeting with Jerod Mayo: "Definitely a different vibe from a head coach, just from the one day I met him … it sounded like he was talking to one of the guys. I feel like that's something that might be a positive thing in the locker room for him to…
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 18, 2024
Gibson was clearly impressed with Mayo and his approach as a players’ coach, with the 38-year-old making him feel comfortable and giving him that feeling of being “one of the guys,” which the running back feels will be beneficial in the locker room.
This is the same kind of approach that Antonio Pierce seems to have taken after becoming the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which seemed to pay off as he motivated his players and seemingly won over the locker room while getting his players to buy into playing his style of football.
If Mayo can pull this approach off in New England, the Patriots will be a completely different kind of organization moving forward, which might be exactly what’s needed for this team to get back on track.
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