4 moves the Patriots must make to reach next year's Super Bowl

2. Establish a culture indicative of a new era in New England

Over the last few seasons, the Patriots haven't always looked like the team we got to know and love over the last two decades. Sure, their success hasn't been the same, nor will it ever be, with Tom Brady hanging up the cleats. But there seemed to be a shift that impacted the overall morale in the locker room, which appeared to come to a head last year.

Now that several new coaches will be around, led by Jerod Mayo, it's crucial that a new culture is established to prove a new era is here for the players to be part of. It doesn't mean they have to rid themselves of "The Patriot Way" necessarily, but they should take the best aspects of it and add new elements that genuinely reflect the new direction Mayo hopes to bring the team.

If they hope to create a new atmosphere in Foxboro that players will want to buy into, it's essential that they all get on the same page and support one another again, on and off the field.

There was a lot of reported tension during the last two seasons in particular, from drama with inexperienced coaching staff to disagreements about who the best quarterback was to start on game day. Unfortunately, this tension seemed to trickle into the public sphere, potentially damaging the brotherhood that is typical of a locker room.

It seems like the best type of person to handle and navigate that is a guy who has been in the locker room as a player and has seen the different kinds of teams that can be put together during their career. That's what makes Mayo's presence more critical this year, as he has not only been a part of some incredible rosters but is also very familiar with the Patriots' culture during the height of their success.

Infusing the best of that era with a new one will work wonders for the team now and in the years ahead.