Patriots
“We’re just getting started.”
Jerod Mayo gets a Gatorade dunk from Patriots players after the Week 1 win. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Jerod Mayo got his head coaching career off to a winning start as Patriots pulled off a rebellion on the way against the Bengalis.
The 16-10 The Week 1 victory was orchestrated in a way that exemplified what Mayo, a former linebacker, stood for during his playing career. New England’s defense held the favored Cincinnati offense scoreless until the third quarter, and the offense racked up 170 yards on the ground.
In the locker room after the game, an excited Robert Kraft stopped by to give the 38-year-old Mayo a special gift: the game ball.
“Every one of you contributed,” Kraft told the locker room. “I’m so proud of the new players, the new coaches. People had all the excuses [that] it couldn’t happen, but you all did.
“I’m spoiled now,” Kraft added. “I’ll count on a lot more.”
“We’re just getting started,” Mayo said in response.
Patriots players also had their chance to celebrate with the new coach on the sidelines, getting Mayo with the classic Gatorade can:
Mayo is already technically off to a better start than his predecessor, Bill Belichick, who took a month to get his first Patriots win in the 2000 season (starting 0-4). Belichick also lost his first game in his first coaching stint with the Browns in 1991.
Of course, Mayo still has a ways to go to reach Belichick’s ultimate success in New England. The next hurdle for the Patriots comes at home against the Seahawks in Week 2 on September 15.
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