After some down years, the New England Patriots have made some franchise-altering changes this offseason, including parting ways with Bill Belichick and replacing him with head coach Jerod Mayo and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
While the Patriots would love to springboard from their abysmal 2023 season that saw them finish with one of their worst records in franchise history and solidify the third-overall pick in the draft, it will probably take longer than one offseason to make the real organizational changes that a team needs after being that poor just a season ago.
As New England's veterans returned to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday ahead of the first day of training camp, Mayo was asked what result in the next six or seven months would be considered a success to him.
“A successful season, in my eyes, is really about the foundation," Mayo said. "Have we put together a good foundation of a combination of young and older players to really start competing? It would be great to get up here and say we’re going to win a Super Bowl, but once again, it’s about the process. I tell the guys all the time, it’s about process and progress and moving forward.”
The progress-oriented mindset has clearly been a focal point of Mayo's coaching so far, as we've heard it from the coach himself as well as a number of players in his first offseason leading the team. This team is seemingly far away from competing for a Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean this year is worthless.
New England's young players will learn and grow; as will some of the coaching staff who are getting their first shots at their new gigs. Those opportunities are invaluable, and the lessons that are learned in 2024 could be building blocks for a team to win a championship down the road.
So, while everyone will be focused on the team's record at the end of the year, Mayo and company will evaluate the situation by seeing how everyone progressed in the building. And, that's the right approach at the moment.
