Jerod Mayo

Changes need to be made as more youth infuses the D with speed and aggression. LB Jerod Mayo and S Brandon Merriweather are just the beginning. Finding a shut-down corner with a short memory would allow more creativity by the D coordinator to mix coverages. A rush linebacker or two to create consistent pressure, get sacks, and force turnovers would greatly aid a suspect secondary. And an emphasis on the fundamentals, particularly tackling, would keep running backs from breaking long runs.

Continue reading "Wanna Trade, Cleveland?"

(from New Orleans) LB Jerod Mayo - New England
11. CB Leodis McKelvin - Buffalo
12. OT Ryan Clady - Denver
13. RB Jonathan Stewart - Carolina
14. OT Chris Williams - Chicago

Continue reading "Playoffs or Draft?"

's mantra for individuals: Do your job.

Mayo and Friends -Since his 20-tackle performance, rookie Jerod Mayo averaged just six total tackles the last three weeks. Mayo and the returning LBs (Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin) must return to their standards quickly.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 15"

ways.

They even drafted LBs in the past, but they never used a first day draft pick on one until Jerod Mayo. Only one day two LB, seventh-rounder Tully Banta-Cain, ever got beyond training camp. Banta-Cain later signed a free agent deal with San Francisco.

Continue reading "Younger Depth at Linebacker"

I was going to write about the atrocity that took place on the field of Gillette Stadium on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I couldn't write a sentence without vomiting in my own mouth. So instead I choose to sum up where the Pats are as they head into the final quarter of the 2008 season.

Continue reading "Patriots 2008 Three-Quarters Report"

game? You heard it from me first. 

RC: Also on the Patriots, they have a rookie linebacker, Jerod Mayo. Last Thursday (against the New York Jets) he had a 20-tackle performance. I don’t know how much you’ve seen of him, but I understand he was compared to a former teammate of yours, Al Wilson. 

Continue reading "Romanowski on the Patriots"

The Patriots have endured some rough losses this year. Obviously, the Indianapolis game sticks out. Last night’s loss, however, takes the cake.  

Give Matt Cassell and the defense grit points for coming back from a seemingly insurmountable halftime deficit. Jerrod Mayo was all over the place and should have solidified his status as the team’s most intriguing and promising player. But there were sooooo many ridiculous, mental errors! What happened to the Pats of old? Who are these guys? How does Jabar Gaffney still have a job?  

Continue reading "Pats' Troubling Loss"

Some last things to pass along before the weekend hits and I disappear into a fog of naps, shopping, cooking and of course the highlight, football watching. There will probably be some diaper changing and bottle feeding in there as well, along with a dash of tummy time. Such is the life of a Patriots Fan/Dad.

Continue reading "Friday's Final Thoughts Before Patriots ..."

bsp;      Keith Rivers (CIN): 36 TCKLS 1 FF 1 INT 39 YDS

MLB = Jerod Mayo (NE): 48 TCKLS 1 FR
           Curtis Lofton (ATL): 41 TCKLS 1 SCK 1 FF

Continue reading "MID-SEASON NFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAMS"

But is inexperience bad? If a player is ready, regardless of age, play him. So far ILB Jerod Mayo has handled himself well this season. He's not the only one with four or less years in the league that is performing well for the Pats. Just look at what the greenhorns did against Denver:Mayo led the team in tackles with eight and he recovered a fumble two teammates failed to secure.S James Sanders has started every game this year so far and has been solid. He got his first interception of the year along with five tackles, good for second on the team for the night.LB Gary Guyton went undrafted in the 2008 Draft, but plays like a day one pick. He recovered a fumble in the game.Guyton's fumble was caused by DL Mike Wright, another rookie free agent who was playing in place of an injured DL Jarvis Green. Wright added a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack.The team leader in interceptions is second-year Merriweather. He added his third on Monday night. Merriweather also defended two passes.Signed from the practice squad to restore some depth lost at the running back position, BenJarvis Green-Ellis played the second half for Sammy Morris and averaged five yards a carry. Green-Ellis finished with 65 yards.K Stephen Gostkowski continues to have a breakout year as he added eleven points to the night, including two field goals and five extra points. He missed just one field goal this season, a 48-yarder.DL Le Kevin Smith made the most of his limited playing time by recovering a fumble.OLB Pierre Woods got a quarterback hit on a play that led to an interception.

Continue reading "Youth Serving"

taste of one, you want more.

Maybe I haven't been paying attention so far, but I finally saw ILB Jerod Mayo make a solo tackle for a minimal gain. It was a first half run to the defensive left and Mayo was one-on-one with the ball carrier. The play maybe netted one yard. Being second on the team in tackles is nice, but what kind of tackles are these? Are they assists? Is he making them downfield? Are these tackles from behind? Big numbers are nice, but I'm more interested in meaningful tackles. I want drive-ending tackles like the third down stop by LB Tedy Bruschi on RB Frank Gore. I expect Mayo to come up with more of these meaningful tackles.

Continue reading "Quick review"

Can We Play? - Rookies LB Jerod Mayo and CBs Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite I expect to play a lot. Mayo will start inside with LB Tedy Bruschi. Wheatley might start, but more likely he and Wilhite will play nickel and dime roles. But when the Patriots are up by 30 or more in the fourth, I want to see the other rookies. Keep your helmets close by Crable, O'Connell, Slater, and Guyton.

Continue reading "Hours Until Kickoff: Week 1"

elieved Lynch was.

Talking about keeping an eye on, all of Patriot Nation watched very closely LB Jerod Mayo in his first preseason game and came away impressed. Excuse me, blown away. The loved the big hit he gave Baltimore running back Ray Rice that knocked off Rice's helmet. Every tackle was explosive. Heck, even when he didn't make a play, it was a good thing. Based on reaction, just five days after LB Andre Tippett became a Hall of Famer, the next great Patriot linebacker to receive that honor will be Mayo.

Continue reading "Lynch in, Easy on the Mayo"

revious post:

Linebackers: I'm very encouraged by the performance by the youngsters on the whole. Jerod Mayo looked fast and exploded on Baltimore's Ray Rice, knocking off Rice's helmet during the tackle. I'm not jumping to conclusions after a three-tackle performance, but I think it's been a while since I've seen that kind of speed at the position. Shawn Crable came away with an interception and a half a sack. I always thought he was good in coverage but he surprised me with consistent pressure and did well shedding blockers. Pierre Woods was OK with pressure in the first half but was nearly unblockable in the fourth quarter when he got a sack and batted a pass.

Continue reading "Go to the tape"

The hoopla will be magnified with Jerod Mayo because he's a first round draft pick. But it comes down the plays made. The story will be the same for Shawn Crable and Bo Ruud. There's a purpose to their being on the field. I'll keep a close eye on the pass rush as well. Pierre Woods should create consistent pressure against first teamers, dominant if facing the second string.

Continue reading "Near and Favre"

They started with Jerod Mayo, drafted Shawn Crable in the third, and added Bo Ruud in the sixth round. All three were clocked between 4.5-4.6 in the 40-yard dash. Even the addition of Victor Hobson helps since he's seven years younger than Bruschi.

Continue reading "Room for improvement"

On the day where the big story was supposed to be the first practice of first round pick Jerod Mayo, what stole the show was the number of veterans not on the field. Eleven players were on the physically unable to perform list:DL Jarvis GreenCB Ellis HobbsOT Nick KaczurOG Stephen NealOT Oliver RossLB Mike VrabelLB Bo RuudWR Wes WelkerC Ryan WendelDL Mike WrightRB BenJarvis Green-Ellis

Continue reading "A dozen PUP-ies"

to keep his job.

In other news, second round pick CB Terrence Wheatley signed Tuesday, leaving LB Jerod Mayo the only draft pick without a contract. Based on Scot Pioli's track record, I expe

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m $295,000 this year to $550,000 in 2011.

 Expect the contract for first round draft pick LB Jerod Mayo to dwarf those numbers.

In fact, don't be surprised if he's the highest paid LB on this team, ahead of veterans Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Adalius Thomas. That's probably what it will take to sign the 10th pick overall.

Continue reading "Drop and give me $20 million"

e than anything it's a great way to get the young guys more repetitions during all these minicamps. Jerod Mayo, Shawn Crable, and Bo Ruud could bury their nose into their playbooks, but it's not the same as putting what they are trying to learn into practice as they try to pick up adjustments on the fly.

Continue reading "Say When"

Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo is the newest New England Patriot. I said the pick would had been Keith Rivers if N.E. didn't trade out of the seventh pick.

Let me say that I'm a huge fan of this pick. The Patriots really needed a linebacker and got one. They also saved a little money in the process by dropping three slots and upgraded a fifth round pick, turning it into a third round pick, their third pick in that round. They can get a dramatically better player to start day two.

Continue reading "Patriots don't pass on Mayo"

Pittsburgh Steelers – LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
12-year veteran ILB James Farrior gets an understudy to mold into his replacement

24. Tennessee Titans – DE Lawrence Jackson, USC

Continue reading "Mock Draft 3.0"

be available at 31st overall? A short list off the top of my head would include LBs Quentin Groves, Jerod Mayo, and Curtis Lofton; WRs DeSean Jackson, Mario Manningham, Andre Caldwell, and Early Doucet; CBs Brandon Flowers, Reggie Smith and Antoine Cason; S DaJuan Morgan. Any of these players would become a starter for the Pats with just one year of situational play.

Continue reading "Got 'till it's gone"

New York Giants – LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
New York lost two ‘backers in free agency

Continue reading "Mock Draft v2.0"

e Patriots are adjusting to what's available.

That's why Oklahoma's Curtis Lofton and Tennessee's Jerod Mayo were brought to Gillette Stadium to be evaluated in person. Lofton is 238 pounds and stands six feet. Mayo stands taller at 6'1" but he carries about 242 pounds on his frame.

Continue reading "Size doesn't matter?"

s
He replaces the traded Corey Williams in the D-line rotation

31 New York Giants – LB Jerod Mayo
New York lost two ‘backers in free agency

Continue reading "Mock Draft v1.0"