ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first this morning to report that the New England Patriots and linebacker Jerod Mayo have agreed to a five-year contract extension.
This is good news considering that Mayo is still only 25-years-old which means he is likely just coming into the prime of his playing career.
After missing two games in October with a MCL (knee) injury, the former University of Tennessee star still ranks third on the Pats with 68 tackles (44 solo, 24 assists). He's also had three passes defensed and forced a fumble.
The most promising aspect of his game has been his playmaking ability, something New England desperately lacks on defense. In each of the last two games (wins over Indy and Washington), Mayo has stepped up with critical fourth-quarter interceptions (fittingly the first two of his career).
Mayo's best season so far in his four-year career was in 2010. He was an All-Pro after racking up 175 tackles total (114 solo, 61 assists) with three fumble recoveries, two sacks and a forced fumble. He also went to his first Pro Bowl for that fine season.
Moving forward, I think it's obvious that to get the most out of Mayo, the Patriots need to surround him with more talent in the linebacker corps. That means less undrafted bums like Dane Fletcher and Gary Guyton and more guys like Brandon Spikes.
Mayo has been a good player, he was the AP's defensive rookie of the year in 2008 and he's lived up to his lofty draft spot (1st round, 10th overall).
When he has more talent around him, it'll be easier to have him be more aggressive. For now, I think the Patriots deploy him more to clean up others mistakes (which there are always an abundance of).
Tweet
Follow @RichSlate
No comments:
Post a Comment