Jerod Mayo introducing element at Patriots practice that Bill Belichick avoided

Since Robert Kraft named Jerod Mayo the next head coach of the New England Patriots, there have been high expectations regarding the types of changes he will implement, some of which are long needed.

Because Bill Belichick had run things the same way for over twenty years, the idea of a new era beginning in Foxboro was exciting for fans. However, how the new regime has handled business this offseason has proven that the Belichick era is long gone, and the Mayo era is here.

It began with who Mayo chose to hire to make up his new staff, as most had no prior connections to the Patriots. That was almost unheard of under Belichick, who kept coaches around for a long time and rehired others who had once worked for him.

Mayo continued the new era by bringing in Eliot Wolf as the leading voice in making roster decisions, including the draft, which had previously been all on Belichick's shoulders. Fortunately, the Patriots 2024 draft class has received predominately glowing reviews, which isn't easy to do when following in the footsteps of a legend.Eliot Wolf in as

One of the more recent actions that Mayo has made that would not have happened under previous leadership is the multiple re-signings of pending free agents, some to big contracts. Belichick became known for moving on from players at the right time, or in some cases, before he should have, many of whom were draft picks.

That doesn't appear to be the case anymore in New England, and Mayo plans on implementing another change this offseason that hasn't happened in the past.

Jerod Mayo introducing element at Patriots practice that Bill Belichick avoided

According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Mayo plans to have the team practice in the summer heat when they return for training camp at the end of the month.

Although it might not seem like a significant change, Reiss notes that Belichick purposely scheduled summer practices earlier to avoid the heat. However, Mayo wants to "test the team's conditioning" by beginning practice nearly two hours later.

"One example of how Mayo is putting his own stamp on the Patriots is what time they plan to practice in training camp -- 11 a.m. ET. Under Belichick in his final stretch of seasons, the team practiced at 9:30 a.m. Perhaps now there is a little more time for meetings before practice, and temperatures will rise a bit and test the team's conditioning."

Typically, the only time Belichick would have the team practicing outside at peak hours was if they played in Miami early in the season. Since that's not the case this year, Mayo is taking a different approach and hopes this tactic will help the players condition better, which might work.

It will be an interesting change at training camp at the end of the month, which might not be as enjoyable for reporters or fans in attendance. But if it inevitably helps the team progress in practice like Mayo hopes it will, then there must be some benefits, right?

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