Jerod Mayo is making quite a few changes in his first year as New England Patriots head coach.
Mayo already oversaw some redecorating in Foxboro, replacing Bill Belichick-era signs on the Gillette Stadium walls with his own preferred mantras. Now, he's changing the Patriots' training camp schedule, bumping the start of practice to 11 a.m. ET after the team began around 10 a.m. in recent years.
Mayo explained what went into that decision Tuesday as players reported to training camp ahead of Wednesday's first practice session.
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"I thought it was important that we had adequate meeting time in the morning before we touched the field," Mayo told reporters. "Honestly, I think the guys appreciate that. They want to make sure they tighten all the screws and know what to do on the field so their athleticism can take over."
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The Patriots' roster has trended younger in recent years, with veterans of the Tom Brady era -- Julian Edelman, James White, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater, to name a few -- moving on to give way to recent draft picks. And with a completely overhauled coaching staff that includes two new coordinators, it appears Mayo wants to make sure players and staffers are on the same page before they hit the field.
One byproduct of the later start time is that practices might be in hotter conditions closer to midday. But it's still a reasonable strategy for the Patriots, who are projected to have one of the NFL's worst records in 2024 and will need as much productive practice time as possible to develop young players like rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
In Mayo's view, that development and building good habits are the team's primary goals this season.
"A successful season in my eyes is the foundation," Mayo said. "Have we put together a good foundation of young and old players to start competing? It'd be great to say we're going to win a Super Bowl, but it's about the process and progress. It looks like a winning football team. A tough, smart, dependable football team."
The Patriots will hold 11 open training camp practices (beginning Wednesday) before their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8.