The power of joy is having its national moment, and it appears we underestimated its impact on the Patriots.
The first order of business after watching their shocking upset of the Bengals was discerning what we had missed. Is the offensive line better than we thought? Will the defense just keep them in every game? Can they bludgeon opponents with Rhamondre Stevenson, because offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt actually knows what he's doing and Jacoby Brissett won't mess it up?
All valid explanations, but they miss the bigger picture: Jerod Mayo isn't Bill Belichick.
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Those of us who considered Belichick's subtraction overdue based that opinion primarily on the roster. Belichick the personnel man had lost his way, drafting kickers instead of receivers and guards instead of tackles. The Patriots needed to modernize in today's speed-racer game.
But even Mayo's most ardent supporters expected the club would regress on game day, because we were still talking about the greatest coach of all time who had seen everything over 50 years on the sidelines. Mayo couldn't just suddenly meet that standard. He might even be an Xs-and-Os liability until he gained his footing.
Except we forgot about joy.
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It's clear that Foxboro didn't represent the most blissful work environment over Belichick's final two seasons. Players questioned his decision to let a couple of unqualified buddies run the offense, absolutely no one appreciated the way he ruined Mac Jones, and his relentlessly driving style rang hollow during a four-win season that saw Belichick coach not to get blown out as often as to win.
It was a dysfunctional mess, and it wasn't a surprise. After all, we had already seen him basically force Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski out the door. Fun? Football's not fun. It's no days off and do your job and we're on to Cincinnati. Fun is for losers. Winners grind.
It had become exhausting, and Mayo's arrival changed everything. He may not run as tight a ship, but players have clearly responded to his leadership. In Week 1, they delivered the kind of effort that used to make Belichick smug. They ran the ball down Cincinnati's throat, harassed quarterback Joe Burrow with minimal blitzing, and controlled the clock to dominate a game we expected them to lose by two TDs.
The most telling moment came in the final seconds, when Mayo earned a Gatorade shower from defensive linemen Daniel Ekuale and Davon Godchaux, smiles all around. After two decades of Belichick ruling by fear and doling out affection with an eye dropper, Patriots players seemed genuinely happy for their new head man. It's like the weight of slouching drudgery had been lifted.
GOT HEEM!! @Gatorade
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 8, 2024
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"Without them, I'm nothing. So I made sure they knew that," Mayo said. "When they cross the white lines, I always talk about empowering the players to go out there and play. I always talk about awareness being the No. 1 thing and those guys taking ownership. So, all the praise goes to those guys. They did a great job."
Afterwards, Brissett got emotional explaining how no coach had ever told him he was going to go out and win a game. Stevenson praised the staff for heeding his advice to abandon zone runs in favor of downhill power. Breakout defensive lineman Keion White, a menace all afternoon, said that players would "run through a brick wall" for Mayo.
The Patriots actually like their coach now. In today's NFL, that makes a massive difference, as lovable WWE cartoon Dan Campbell proves every week in Detroit. Maybe the Patriots will discover that they've struck upon a similar leader in Mayo, who has already avoided the biggest mistake to befall most branches of the Belichick coaching tree.
He's not trying to be Bill, all domineering and secretive and joyless. Mayo's comfortable being himself, and for one week, anyway, his players sent a clear message: We're not going back.