New England Patriots Bonus Wild Card Weekend links: Belichick, Mayo and playoff games

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New York Jets (17) Vs. New England Patriots (3) At Gillette Stadium
Fans in the stands | Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Daily news and links for Saturday

It’s Wild Card weekend! For Pats fans it’s a no-pressure chance to root for the upsets and cheer on your favorite underdogs. Hoping for some good games to keep it interesting. We borrowed a Peacock account to watch the Dolphins-Chiefs game – sorry, NFL I’m not paying for that one too. For that one I’ll be rooting for the interceptions. Can’t cheer on either team.

Plus, there have been so many columns written about Jerod Mayo and Bill Belichick that I thought it would be a good idea to round ‘em all up here instead of waiting for Monday. A lot of the local “rumors” posts are taken from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham novellette that’s behind a paywall. I’ve linked to a few, but please keep in mind it’s all unnamed-sourced quotes glued together to form the narrative he wants. Think ‘historical fiction’ genre. Some stuff may be fact, but some of the dramatic language he uses and motivations he assumes are over the top.

Enjoy the playoff games ahead everyone, and the links below!

MAYO

  • Patriots to host an introductory press conference to announce the promotion of Jerod Mayo as the 15th head coach in franchise history.
  • Albert Breer (SI) Jerod Mayo is the right pick for the Patriots; Plus, what’s next for Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel, and other news from around the NFL.
  • Conor Orr (SI) It’s Robert Kraft’s show, and he’s the leading character after hiring Jerod Mayo; Now we will learn more about the owner of the Patriots in a few short seasons than we ever did throughout an entire dynasty.
  • Taylor Kyles shares his take on what Jerod Mayo brings to the franchise. /Good read.
  • Bob Socci’s Patriots View: Mayo’s character and charisma make him both a constant and potential agent for change.
  • Phil Perry explains why Jerod Mayo will bring a ‘much different perspective’ to the Patriots despite having worked under Bill Belichick.
  • Matt Dolloff identifies 7 things on the to-do list for Jerod Mayo as Patriots head coach. 1. Fix the quarterback room. Simple, but not easy.
  • Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Patriots were wise to move quickly to install Jerod Mayo as head coach.
  • Mike Reiss, Jeremy Fowler, Jordan Reid (ESPN) Who is Jerod Mayo? Roadmap for post-Belichick Patriots coach.
  • Dakota Randall picks three pros and three cons of the Patriots naming Jerod Mayo head coach.
  • Darren Hartwell shares some potential general manager candidates for the Patriots.
  • Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate welcomes Murph to break down the Jerod Mayo hiring & his impact on the immediate future of the Pats; Plus, picks for OC, DC & GM.

BELICHICK

  • Lance Reynolds spotlights how Bill Belichick built a model of success for Boston’s sports teams.
  • Jason Ounpraseuth highlights Sean McVay reflecting on Bill Belichick’s impact on the league and how his relationship grew with the former Patriots head coach.
  • Justin Sayles (The Ringer) Bill Belichick and the cold,, calculated pursuit of winning.
  • Chris Van Buskirk tells us how a Pats practice was always open to kids when Belichick was coach. /Sweet photos.
  • Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) Bill Belichick may be gone, but Is New England trying to keep his Patriot Way? It’s time for Mayo and the entire organization to figure out who they are without Belichick. That might not be easy.
  • Tara Sullivan (Boston Globe) What happens to the ‘Patriot Way’ if Bill Belichick is no longer the coach? [Free]
  • Emma Healy (Boston Globe) The biggest off-the-field controversies of Belichick’s Patriots career, explained. [Free] /Your hometown newspaper, people. Lolz.
  • Gayle Troiani reposts another section from Seth Wickersham’s ESPN paywall piece showing how the Belichick-Kraft relationship was broken for years. /It’s all unnamed-sourced narrative, but this quote rings true: “Kraft and Belichick both had decided to let Brady go. No matter how much Kraft tried to distance himself from that decision, he approved it.”
  • Gayle Troiani Patriots Rumors: Bill Belichick reportedly wanted the Patriots to move on from Mac Jones last offseason but was met with pushback from the Krafts.
  • Paul Kasabian (Bleacher Report) Report (Seth Wickersham, ESPN): Belichick leaving Mac Jones in Pats games was a ‘F—k You’ to Kraft.
  • Ian O’Connor shares a story from his book: In talking to many of his players for my biography, I think Bill Belichick’s finest Patriots moment might’ve come in the wake of his most devastating defeat — to the Giants in Super Bowl. /Interesting, not surprising at all.
  • Jason Ounpraseuth highlights LeGarrette Blount talking about the message he sent to Belichick.

FOOTBALL STUFF

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