Jerod Mayo is already tired of this label since becoming Patriots head coach

Throughout Bill Belichick's tenure as the Patriots head coach, he was known for being strict, demanding, and a perfectionist, often to a fault. It led to many players labeling New England one of the least fun teams to play for, despite how much they were winning, and deterred many from signing with the team.

Although there were more who advocated for Belichick's coaching style, it didn't work with everyone. It seemingly became more of an issue later in his career, which appears to have been part of the reason Robert Kraft decided it was time to part ways.

When it was announced that Jerod Mayo was going to replace Belichick as the Patriots head coach, a narrative began because of the reaction from several players who had long been advocating for Mayo to be hired. The former linebacker was starting to be referred to as a "player's coach," which sounds great and isn't always meant as a bad thing, but it has a negative connotation that Mayo wants no part of.

Despite the generalized complementary meaning behind the term, it has become something most coaches don't want to be referred to, as it has often meant they aren't a strong-willed coach or are more of a friend to the players than a teacher and mentor.

Because that has become a talking point when discussing Mayo's start as a head coach, he has already made it clear he would prefer not to be referred to in that way, explaining his reason for it during a recent appearance on Sirius XM NFL's "Movin' the Chains" show.

Jerod Mayo understands the negativity that surrounds the term "player's coach"

With the "player's coach" narrative taking off this offseason, Mayo has chosen to address it head-on and make his stance known about why he doesn't like it.

He spoke about it with hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller last week and reiterated his coaching philosophy of "being demanding without being demeaning."

"I hate when people say 'player's coach.' I truly believe in being demanding without being demeaning. For me, it's striking the balance to treating these guys as professionals but also holding them accountable to everything they talked about on Day 1 of the spring."

This is the same sentiment he shared during an interview with Kay Adams on "Up & Adams" last week after training camp concluded for the day. He reiterated his point of wanting to be known as a great coach and that's it.

It's unfortunate that being a well-liked coach by your players is somehow an issue in today's NFL, even more so for Mayo, who is the first guy to coach the team since Bill Belichick.

As long as the team performs at a high level and shows respect for him in this new position, there's no reason to believe that being a "player's coach" is negative.

Plenty of coaches throughout NFL history, some of whom remain employed today, have been successful and loved by the players. They have thrived in that role and have had impressive teams to prove it wasn't an issue, which Mayo will (hopefully) accomplish as well.

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