Some of the greatest relationships stem from difficult moments.
This was the case for New England Patriots coaches Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo. Steve, Bill Belichick’s son, has coached the team’s defense at some capacity since 2012. Mayo was a two-time Pro Bowler and played eight seasons for the Patriots — converting to the linebackers coach in 2019.
When Mayo went on the injured reserve list during his career, the opportunity came to spend some time with Steve.
“Yeah, me and Jerod, we’ve known each other for a long time,” Steve said following training camp practice, transcribed by WEEI. “Back when I was a QC (quality control) and Jerod went on IR those couple years, he spent a lot of time with me. We called it back in the dungeon. “It was really, really beneficial for me as a young coach to get an elite player’s perspective. And I’m sure at the time he didn’t think he would be coming down this path, but he just kind of got to see the other side of it.
“He’s always been an extremely hardworking person, both as a player and coach since I’ve known him. So, he was always around the building. When he was finishing up his rehab, he’d come in there, help me break down film. And again, me just teaching him the concepts and what we were looking for as coaches and him telling me the player perspective. And it was really, really beneficial for me, like I said, to hear firsthand just the two of us in a room together, no filters or anything like that, no one to try and impress, just two guys learning about football from different perspectives. So, it was great.
“And then obviously, finished off a great career, went into corporate for a couple years, and then ended up coming back and it’s been awesome just working with him, spending a lot of time with him in the building. And yeah, I can’t say enough good things about him, all the things I’ve learned from him, both about football and in life. So it’s been a pleasure to work with him. I’m very fortunate to have a guy like that on the staff, along with the rest of the guys, but just to answer your question specifically.”
Both Steve and Mayo have the potential of being the team’s defensive coordinator as they ascend. Mayo expressed his interest in becoming a head coach in the future and the odds aren’t unlikely considering Bill’s coaching tree.
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