Patriots owner Robert Kraft gives Jerod Mayo the ultimate compliment
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Jerod Mayo and Robert Kraft's friendship is incredible. The two spent most of Wednesday's introductory press conference smiling while ushering in this new era in New England. And with that, Kraft gave Mayo the ultimate compliment when speaking with the media, explaining how he has always learned to trust his instinct. So this […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Jerod Mayo and Robert Kraft's friendship is incredible. The two spent most of Wednesday's introductory press conference smiling while ushering in this new era in New England.
And with that, Kraft gave Mayo the ultimate compliment when speaking with the media, explaining how he has always learned to trust his instinct.
So this time, he wasted no time in naming Mayo the 15th head coach in Patriots history.
In 1996, Kraft explained that this was the only time he didn't trust his instinct is when he didn't hire Bill Belichick as head coach.
"I made another hire. I didn't hire him," Kraft said. "My instinct was to do it, but because of his loyalty to a man we had such difficulty with who did a great job, but he took another job when we were going to the Super Bowl, and I just couldn't bring someone in — because trust is so important.. I should have gone with my instincts in '96, and I hired Bill."
When Kraft ultimately brought in Belichick in 2000, things truly took off. And it confirmed to the Patriots owner that hiring Belichick was the right choice.
So six Super Bowl championships later, Kraft knew that he had to trust his instincts once again. And despite some of the criticism he received, he remained determined to hire the candidate he knew would do best.
"I have the same feeling now having watched Jerod for 16 years in a lot of different situations," Kraft said. "I think sometimes we think a little differently than other competitors, and we try to do what's right for our system. I think we've got someone very special who understands how to manage young people today."
Mayo has an interesting path, having spent his entire career in the Patriots organization. Being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, it didn't take long for him to show that he is a natural born leader.
In his second season on the team, Mayo was already voted a team captain, so this always seemed like a probably career path for him.
And no one agrees more than Kraft.
"During his playing days, he was a student of the game who loved to watch film and was often described by his coaches and teammates as another coach on the field," the owner said. "And it was no surprise to see him return to the Patriots on the coaching staff in 2019. Football is Jerod's true passion. I believe coaching was always his destiny.
