Jerod Mayo said on his very first day as New England Patriots head coach that he'd do things differently than his predecessor, Bill Belichick. And he's already putting those words into action.
The 38-year-old first-time head coach had made a concerted effort to create a new culture in New England, from switching up the signs on the walls inside Gillette Stadium to playing more music at training camp practices.
But the biggest change in Foxboro after 24 years of Belichick might be in how Mayo interacts with his players.
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After Day 2 of Patriots training camp Thursday, veteran offensive lineman Calvin Anderson made some interesting remarks about Mayo's hands-on approach with his players.
"He puts an emphasis on relationships, and I think that helps the team culture," Anderson told reporters, as seen in the video player above. "I don't know how other head coaches are, but Mayo walks around knowing his guys. So you walk around, you feel like you have a personal relationship with him. It makes it so much easier to buy in."
According to our Tom E. Curran, Mayo was a "floater" at Day 1 of camp, bouncing around between positions and engaging with players throughout practice. Anderson noted that Mayo's energy on the field is palpable, and that his commitment to his players shouldn't be overlooked.
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"Obviously, when we're on the field, you can feel him when he's walking through," Anderson said. "When you have a coach who prioritizes that relationship part, which gets lost in business, it brings you back to why we love to play this game, which is the team aspect of playing football.
"It's much easier to play as a team when you have that relationship part. He emphasizes that, which I think everybody is much better for."
The Patriots brought back several free agents on expiring contracts this offseason, including Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Dugger, Mike Onwenu, Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche. It appears Mayo at least played some role in those players deciding to stay in New England -- Uche declared that the "future is bright" under Mayo after signing a team-friendly deal with the Patriots.
Of course, good vibes can only get you so far in the NFL. The Patriots have one of the league's least talented rosters and will need to make significant improvements over the next several seasons to return to contention. But if New England wants to pull off a successful rebuild, it needs buy-in from the players on the current roster, so Anderson's comments are an encouraging sign that Mayo is connecting with this group.