Jan 26

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Dont'a Hightower: Jerod Mayo brings ‘different perspective' as Patriots coach

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Former New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo's transition from a Pro Bowl-caliber player to a coach on Bill Belichick's staff has been a smooth one so far.

Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who played alongside Mayo for four seasons from 2012 through 2015, was asked after Thursday's training camp practice at Gillette Stadium what it's like having Mayo as inside linebackers coach. His review was a positive one.

"He's really the same," Hightower told reporters. "He was a coach on the field and even more now. It's great to have him leading the meetings and being able to talk. You know, some coaches, it's easy for them to say "X's and O's" but they don't really understand what you actually see. With him, he has a different perspective and he's able to give us a lot of knowledge."

Mayo was calling plays in 11-on-11 drills Thursday. It wasn't a surprising development given the intelligence and leadership Mayo displayed as a middle linebacker in New England for eight seasons. Mayo is very familiar with Belichick's system and his relationships with many of the players should only help him as he continues this new phase of his football career.

"I think him and all the coaches are helping out as best as they can," Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy told reporters. "Mayo is very smart, really good coach, great at communication, and that will help us during the season."

New England's defense ended last season on a high note. The unit held the high-powered Los Angeles Rams offense to a record-low three points in Super Bowl LIII. With many of the same players from that championship-winning roster returning, the Patriots are optimistic their strong team chemistry on defense will lead to a successful 2019 campaign.

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"We’ve been through it, and hopefully we can pick up where we left off and keep that chemistry, keep that fluidity that we had during the end of the season and keep that going," Van Noy said. "We have a veteran group in the secondary, as well. A lot of guys came back up in the D-line, so we’re ready to go.

"We’re hungry as ever. We’re ready to prove again that it takes an entire team to win a championship. The levels and expectations are very high here, and we want to match those."

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