![\"Jerod](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/Ehi1ETQy9wCfK3TCWvSLLnJfzKk=\/48x232:3455x2016\/fit-in\/1200x630\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25775494\/2187615239.jpg\")
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Entering their bye week with a 3-10 record and a third straight losing season locked up, the New England Patriots have plenty of work ahead of them to get back to relevance. Who will be the one leading them remains to be seen, but all signs still point toward Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf being allowed a second year to turn their vision for the team into reality.<\/p>\n
Whether they will eventually be able to do that is anybody\u2019s guess at this point in time. Mayo himself, however, is confident looking ahead at 2025.<\/p>\n
As he pointed out in a recent interview with NBC Sports, the Patriots\u2019 rookie head coach expects to see a jump in performance in himself and his team in Year 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have a lot to learn as the head coach of this football team. And I understand that. It\u2019s a very different role,\u201d Mayo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn saying that \u2014 and I tell the players the same thing \u2014 the biggest jump that you\u2019ll ever have in your career is from Year 1 to Year 2 as far as becoming a better player, a better professional. I\u2019m sure 100 percent that I will be a better coach in Year 2 than I am in Year 1.\u201d<\/p>\n
The notion of the second-year jump has been a popular one in New England, and something Mayo\u2019s predecessor and mentor Bill Belichick spoke about repeatedly through the years. From that perspective, his optimism is warranted; his added experience alone should help him lead the coaching more effectively.<\/p>\n
Whether or not that will translate to wins is a different story, though, and one that will ultimately decide Mayo\u2019s staying power. Based on his first year at the job, there is plenty of room for improvement \u2014 something the 38-year-old himself anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first accepted this position, I knew we\u2019d take our bumps and lumps along the way. That\u2019s what we\u2019re in,\u201d he said. \u201cOftentimes it\u2019s hard for people to see the vision or direction you\u2019re trying to take an organization through the clouds. We\u2019re going through clouds right now but as long as our focus is on setting a foundation and getting better every week I feel pretty good about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step in that process is leading the Patriots through their bye week and into the home stretch of the season. Mayo and his team will first visit Arizona and Buffalo, and then host the Los Angeles Chargers and the Bills at Gillette Stadium to close out the year.<\/p>\n
Finishing the season with four defeats to bring the current losing streak to seven would not be a surprise for New England. Despite the unfavorable outlook, Mayo mentioned that he would remain in a trying-to-win mindset.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, he is using the bye week not only to decompress but rather also to better himself and by extension his football team.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that we\u2019re in the bye week, there\u2019s definitely a chance and opportunity to reflect on the entire season up until this point,\u201d he said, \u201cand what we need to do moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Patriots have struggled in Year 1 under the rookie head coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n