Jerod Mayo has the hardest job in the NFL – taking over from Bill Belichick [Getty Images]
Rebuilding a team is never easy, but this is no ordinary rebuild facing the New England Patriots – as once the most dominant dynasty the NFL has ever seen is now having to be reconstructed from the ground up.
Fans in New England were spoilt rotten with almost two decades of unbridled success during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era – the greatest quarterback and head coach combination the sport has ever witnessed.
They became the Manchester United of the NFL, but now face a similar problem as the Red Devils in trying to replicate their success while replacing club legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
After 11 years they are still seemingly no closer to finding their ideal replacement. The Patriots will hope to get back to the summit of their sport a lot quicker.
And the man following ‘the man’ – and playing the David Moyes role – is Jerod Mayo – at just 38 he’s the youngest head coach in the league in his first year in the top job, but has the responsibility of piecing the Patriots back together brick by brick.
The Brady & Belichick era – the hardest act to follow
To truly understand the size of the task in hand for such a young and inexperienced head coach as Mayo, it’s worth remembering some of the more incredible achievements of a side that became the team to beat every season for two decades.
In the 18 seasons Brady played the majority of games the Patriots reached the Super Bowl nine times, winning six, in what is just a phenomenal rate of success in a sport built for parity.
The pair had a 100% record in earning 18 winning seasons, won 17 AFC East titles and made 13 AFC Championship games – including a run of eight years in a row where they were playing for a place in the Super Bowl.
Throw in that incredible 16-0 perfect regular season, and almost every individual and head coach-quarterback record you can think of, and it’s the very essence of a dynasty.
Good luck following that!
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