New England Patriots first-time head coach Jerod Mayo has admitted that he made a ‘rookie mistake’ in one of his first dealings with the media this offseason.
The former Pats linebacker was named as Bill Belichick’s replacement in January as the franchise turned the page on what was the most successful era in team history.
The 38-year-old is the second youngest head coach in the NFL behind fellow rookie boss Mike Macdonald in Seattle and he has spoken about the learning curve he has been on in recent weeks.
One area that he admits was a mistake were the the comments he made regarding his team’s approach to free agency.
“We’re bringing in talent, 1,000 per cent,” Mayo said in January. “Have a lot of cap space, and cash. Burn some cash.”
After a steady, but unspectacular free agency period in which the team retained some key contributors and made sensible additions such as Jacoby Brissett, Antonio Gibson and K.J. Osborn, Mayo has admitted his initial statement was somewhat overcooked.
"That was a rookie mistake,” Mayo told WEEI. “That was a rookie mistake by me,
"As soon as I got downstairs, [Patriots vice president of communications Stacey James] slapped me in the head, like, 'What are you doing?'
"You understand what I meant, though. What I really meant, though, is we're going to be, obviously, smart with cash and smart with acquisitions. I was just very excited. At the same time, I feel like we're building the roster the way we want to build it."
The biggest acquisition of the Patriots offseason came last week when they used their number three overall draft pick on quarterback Drake Maye before adding wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round.
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