Healthy body of work at LB
Mayo is person to look up to among Pats
FOXBORO — After the devastation wore off, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo had the motives in place to maintain a positive state of mind while grinding through his second crippling injury in as many seasons.
At Gillette Stadium, Mayo knew his teammates counted on him for guidance as they embarked on a Super Bowl run. He was the rock behind budding stars Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins. When Hightower and Collins assumed control of the middle of the defense, Mayo still watched film, attended meetings and aided the process anyway he could while simultaneously rehabbing a torn patellar in his knee.
And at home with his wife, Chantel, Mayo gave his three young children a firsthand look at an important lesson. He couldn’t waver with their eyes fixed upon their role model.
“Obviously, as a father, you want to teach your kids how to deal with adversity and things like that,” Mayo said yesterday while walking from the practice field to go see his kids. “Just having them there, they help me, and I also try to help them. Everything isn’t always going to go your way. It’s all about right now.”
Mayo has developed something of a post-practice routine following each of the Pats’ 10 sessions in training camp. If he isn’t rolling around with his kids — 5-year-old daughter Chya, 4-year-old son Jerod Jr. and daughter Chyanne, who was born in September — on the field, he makes a beeline toward the stadium where they’re waiting, which was the case yesterday. The 29-year-old’s support system has been a critical element after injuries ended back-toback seasons in Week 6.
Mayo can sometimes bounce between film sessions at Gillette with Hightower and Collins to his house with Jerod Jr. Even if his namesake is still too young to understand what he’s watching, aside from being able to point out “Uncle” Vince Wilfork in past seasons, it’s therapeutic for Mayo to spend that quality time with teammates and kids alike. These permanent bonds balance the uncertainty of the way injuries can impact any player’s career.
“It’s bigger than football,” Mayo said. “I have family. I have great teammates, great coaches. It’s all about relationships. Just coming to work each and every day, even when I got hurt, I was still around the building, still around the guys, still having that support system. So it’s been good.”
Mayo had to power through an unknown injury to get to this point, but he also had to survive a round of contract negotiations. The linebacker restructured the final three years of his deal and can make up to $6.3 million this season before the Patriots take control with team options in 2016 and 2017. It’s certainly plausible the two sides could return to the table next offseason, but Mayo was just thrilled to reach a common ground in April.
“I love it around here,” Mayo said. “I love the coaches, players, things like that. I’m a New Englander. I love playing football out here.”
Mayo has rebounded nicely this summer, too. He sat out organized team activities and minicamp but has been a full participant in every practice since the Patriots reported July 30. Mayo, who likely will be a captain for the seventh consecutive season, made his loudest play of camp yesterday when he put Rob Gronkowski on his rump after the tight end reeled in a pass from Tom Brady over the middle of the field.
With the Sept. 10 regular-season opener at Gillette against the Pittsburgh Steelers a month away, the Patriots can be confident they’ll have Mayo at full tilt. His body is back in working order, and his mind always has been right.
That’s how Mayo has gotten through two arduous years.
“Obviously, you never want to get injured, but it’s part of the game,” Mayo said. “There have been a lot of ebbs and flows, but at the end of the day, it’s all about this year. It’s all about now. That’s all I’m focused on.”