For the first time since the 1999 season, the New England Patriots have a head coach who isn’t Bill Belichick.
But when it comes to the Jerod Mayo era in New England, Rob Gronkowski isn’t surprised that his former Patriots teammate is now in charge of his old team.
“Jerod Mayo was just a phenomenon on the football field with lining every one up and also in the meeting rooms as well,” Gronkowski said during an appearance on former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s Games With Names podcast, via NFL.com. “He knew where every player needed to be during any situation that occurred on the defensive side of the ball.
“He knew how to read offenses, he knew when to call out plays, and he was always correct when he’d call a play out, or else he was just making the whole defense aware of when that play was going to be called. … He was just always alert, and you could always tell that was going to translate into the next phase of his life.”
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Gronkowski played alongside Mayo in New England from the tight end’s rookie year in 2010 through the linebacker’s final season in 2015. During that time, they were both key contributors on the Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning team during the 2014 season and based on Grownkowski’s comments, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mayo help lead New England to a seventh Lombardi Trophy as its head coach.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.