Bill O'Brien had been away from Foxborough since the winter of 2012 before returning in January. Over that time, you'd figure that his then and now-current boss, Bill Belichick, would have changed. But to O'Brien, the Patriots head coach remains fundamentally the same, in the good times and - unfortunately this year - the bad.
"That's a great question. He is the same, and I think that's what makes him a really good football coach, and he's a very consistent person. You know, whether it's from the quarterback meeting, to the team meeting, to the unit meeting, to the practice field, he has a way of doing things here that obviously has been very successful.
"We haven't performed - I'm speaking offensively - the way that we want it to. It got better - it's gotten better at times - like the other night, it got a little bit better, but he has been a very consistent coach. And I think that's the mark of a really good coach. Not an up-and-down guy at all. Very consistent guy about how he approaches the game week and getting the team ready to play. And I think that's what all of us have learned from him over the years: to try to be consistent. Those of us who have gone on to other places and had some success in other places have tried to be very consistent in other places, and it works out well when you're very consistent. And that's what that's what Bill is: very consistent."
That's been something team leaders have mentioned throughout this slog of a season - from David Andrews to Jahlani Tavai and a bunch of players in between. Expectations never change, even as the losses have added up, something Belichick talked about in the aftermath of that win over the Steelers a couple weeks back.
"Obviously, a level of frustration with the overall season. But, on a week-to-week basis, you kind of put that aside and focus on the week that you have," he said.
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Speaking of coaches, we've spent much time debating the merits of Jerod Mayo as the next in line. So, in our conversations with the staff Tuesday (our last of the season for non-coordinators), I asked defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington how he's seen Mayo develop as both coach and leader.
"Me and him work very close together, especially those first couple of years when outside linebackers, inside linebackers, doing stuff like that. And I've seen him be able to really take a player and speak life into him. And then whether it's - because I believe there's power in the tongue - so you can speak life or death into a player - and he is able to speak life into a player and have that player up his game. So he does have the ability to do that with our players. And that goes a long way in coaching or leadership in general - the power of the tongue. To me, that's what I think about Jerod's growth and leadership."
I followed up, asking Covington how he defined speaking life into a player.
"What they can do. What you know, cuz I think it's, it's the ability to tell a person and show them something that they might not believe, or something they might not believe themselves, or they might be struggling with or telling them - whether it's the telling them the truth or how you use your words. So I think how you use your words is also a part of speaking life into a person with the power of the tongue, how to correct or instruct. That's what I believe that means."
Mayo may have rubbed some people the wrong way (per Greg Bedard), but not based on what Covington shared - and Steve Belichick a couple weeks back - he has plenty of support on the defensive side of the ball. The results are there, too. Since week 10, the Pats are allowing just 14.5 points per game, which is second best in the league, and have allowed 300 or less yards in five of six. Not too shabby.
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Some of you didn't want Chad Ryland to hit that 56-yard field goal and for the Patriots to win. I get it. But, as you saw on the sideline, and if you crept on any of the team's postgame videos, there was a lot of love and support for the rookie. Special teams coach Cam Achord said that, in that moment, we saw some of the things they've been discussing regarding how Ryland has performed in practice.
"Obviously, he has the ability to hit the ball a mile right there.," said Achord. "He made good contact, and the trajectory of the ball couldn't be any straighter. Throughout the game, there was no hesitation. When we got that last drive, he knew he had an opportunity to win the game. He was completely focused on the net, ready to go. Just shows his mental toughness. It goes unspoken, but you have to see that through kickers."
Achord thinks there's potential for carry-over, from a confidence standpoint, for Ryland - and perhaps from the team, which has clearly coached around the 4th rounder at various points this season, uncertain whether he could be trusted at that moment.
"You don't ever want to change your approach just because of one kick. I think that's what good about specialist and what's good about Chad. Each kick, he approaches it the same. And that's what allows him to be successful. Whether he's on a high, cloud nine, or he's going bad because he had a miss, whatever it may be. He stays the same consistently. And that's what you want. You want a guy who's consistent kick to kick, day to day.
"Obviously, excited for that guy. Game-winner, probably the biggest kick in his career right there. You want to build on it. He knows he can make those kicks. He knows next time he gets an opportunity in that situation, he's already been through it. It's a little bit, maybe more of a mental state or just his approach - I've already made this; it's just another kick now; it's not a big-time game-winner right there."
Ryland is 15 of 23 kicking field goals this season and missed his first extra point Sunday in Denver.
