Tom Brady's old comment on Jerod Mayo goes viral as Patriots HC takes over reins from Bill Belichick

Tom Brady may have foreshadowed Jerod Mayo's ascension to the Patriots head coach, after Bill Belichick was fired, in an old clip that has since gone viral. At the time, the quarterback was still with the New England Patriots and he was asked in an interview who had the most clout in the locker room if there was a complaint to be addressed. He said, backing up assertions that Jerod Mayo was more like a son to Bill Belichick than just another player,

“If we want something done, we go to Jerod Belichick.”

Jerod Mayo brings the lineage of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick into the new era

Jerod Mayo has an enormous job to do as the head coach of the New England Patriots. He is going to follow in the footsteps of the greatest coach of all time and it is not going to be an easy act. Just ask Cam Newton and Mac Jones who were supposed to replace Tom Brady as the next franchise quarterback and they will tell you how hard it is to follow the GOAT.

There are some things Jerod Mayo brings to the table in terms of continuity to the past. He played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 and made two Pro Bowls, won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and won a Super Bowl. As a young coach, who is just 37 years old, it is good that his playing bonafides cannot be questioned.

He was the inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023 in New England so he knows the best parts of Bill Belichick's coaching methods as well, which are generally centered around defensive solidity. The fear was that the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach's dismissal might bring some drop in the quality of the defense, but Jared Mayo should be able to keep continuity there.

On the other hand, where Bill Belichick struggled the most was trying to find the next franchise quarterback. With a professional general manager now that the former head coach is gone, the new head coach can draft someone like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye as their next franchise quarterback since they are slated to pick third in the draft and first pick Chicago Bears are unlikely to look for a replacement for Justin Fields.

New England will do well to return to the Drew Bledsoe era before trying to emulate Tom Brady. The former 1993 NFL Draft's first overall pick is also a Patriots Hall-of-Famer and a top-rated quarterback in this year's draft should give them a chance to start again.