FOXBOROUGH – It felt like the first day of school at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.
Veterans reported to training camp as first year head coach Jerod Mayo met the media early on in the day. Mayo spoke for just over 20 minutes, answering questions from a packed room of reporters and TV cameras.
Mayo’s press conferences will have a much different tone and he has already been far more open and willing to address all topics, even if he has to dance around them a bit. No more snorts into the microphone or death stares.
Mayo started the morning with his best Jim Nantz impression with a ‘hello friends.’ Mayo also began setting expectations for the season, addressing what he feels would constitute a ‘successful’ first campaign as the HC of the NEP.
“Yeah, a successful season, in my eyes, is really about the foundation,” he said. “Have we put together a good foundation of a combination of young and older players to really start competing? It would be great to get up here and say we’re going to win a Super Bowl, but once again, it’s about the process. I tell the guys all the time, it’s about process and progress and moving forward.
” It looks like a winning football team. It looks like a tough, smart, dependable football team.”
There’s also the whole quarterback competition thing. Mayo quickly made sure everyone knows who the starter is for now, but did acknowledge that Drake Maye – as well as Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe will have the opportunity to compete for the job. For the time being, experience trumps everything.
“Yeah, coming out of the spring, I don’t think there’s any doubt Jacoby is the starting quarterback at this point in time,” said Mayo. “We can look at these other quarterbacks on the roster, at the same time, it’s about competition. When we get out on the field this summer, with the pads on, we’ll see how it all plays out. Coming out of the spring, I think it’s clear that Jacoby is the most pro-ready guy we have. He’s played a lot of football.
“Look, if (Maye) — and this goes to any position — if he comes out here and he lights it up, once again, it goes back to the quality of reps. It could absolutely happen. Look, I’ll sit here and tell you, coming out of the spring, Jacoby looks like the starting quarterback. Now with that being said, he’ll have competition. Let’s not forget about even Joe Milton; let’s not forget about [Bailey] Zappe. All those guys will have opportunities to go out there and be the starting quarterback in Week 1.”
The word of the day and all of training camp will be competition. Young, old, it doesn’t matter. It’s a clean slate at 1 Patriot Place for everyone and the fight for jobs should make for some high intensity, exciting practices starting with the first session on Wednesday morning.
Mayo also had a message for the fans still unsure of the new direction the franchise is taking.
“Yeah, I mean, my message to the fans is it’s all about winning football games,” he added. “That’s what it comes down to. It comes down to winning football games, no matter what the expectation is from everyone outside this building. We’re going to go to work each and every day, and we’re going to get better. We’re going to put a good product, a good team out there on the field that you’ll be proud of. Now, whether that’s tomorrow or next year, I don’t know.
“But, I will say that this team, I like the way they’re coming together.”