FOXBOROUGH - It takes a certain sense of self to sit next to the man who hired you - and can fire you - and contradict him, especially in a public setting. But Jerod Mayo, with owner Robert Kraft directly to his right, took exception to Kraft glossing over the importance of the 15th head coach in Patriots' team history being the first African-American.
Kraft said he is "colorblind" and "chose the best head coach for this organization. He happens to be a man of color."
Mayo, however, piggybacked off that answer, letting you know he didn't see it the same way.
"I appreciate (Kraft) and the organization selecting me to be a Black head coach," Mayo said. " ... What I will say, though, is I do see color because I believe if you don't see color, you can't see racism. ... It goes back to whatever it is: black, white, yellow. It really doesn't matter, but it does matter, so we can try to fix a problem that we all know we have."
Mayo asserting himself should come as no surprise. He has never been afraid to speak his mind - see Bedard's report of rubbing people the wrong way - or answer for it. It takes a man with broad shoulders and loads of confidence to put that weight on himself, and the Pats' new boss has never lacked that.
That came through on several other subjects, although not regarding how Mayo wants to handle the X and O part of this equation, which is obviously essential. Instead, we heard him talk broadly and offer very few specifics regarding the direction of the offense - a critical topic, mentioning only that everything was "under consideration."
What's not under consideration - instead, what will be expected - is that improving the culture at One Patriot Place is of the utmost importance to the 37-year-old Mayo. In fact, he took some well-placed pokes at his predecessor, both by name - "I needed a break from Bill" - or if you read between the lines.
"I don't like echo chambers," he said. "I want people around me that are going to question my ideas or question the way we have done things in the past because, realistically, this game is a lot different than when I was drafted in 2008."
On the other hand, Bill Belichick saw and contributed to an erosion of those voices around him, gradually decreasing the size of the staff and insulating himself from nearly all voices - inside or outside of the building. It may have helped undo him in the end, not having or listening to those who might have had a better sense of the direction the plane was headed.
Of course, that doesn't mean that Mayo won't need his own inner circle. Based on how short his coaching career has been - there will be certain challenges in building a staff with people he knows and respects, and perhaps that contributed today to his mostly vague answers about the direction of the coaching staff and team. He did make one thing about those who will work for him and with him very clear, however.
"I would say with all of my coaches is that the number one thing is developing people, and with this generation- back when I first started playing- most of the time, Coach would say something, and guys would do it. I think with this generation, you have to show them that you care about them before you get into competency as far as Xs and Os are concerned.
"That's one thing I feel like with all my coaches, they should know the players. They should know their room better than I do. They're closer. They're closer to those guys, and they have that day-to-day interaction. But to me, whether we're talking offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, all that stuff is under eval, and my number one thing is I want to bring in developers."
That is a message Mayo has been sharing with us for some time, especially near the end of the season, when perhaps he foresaw that the two-year succession plan might only be one. And as I've written about, those players who've worked with him consistently believe that's an apt description of Mayo, that being a leader of men matters to him, and that the future of these men matters. This role will make those relationships harder because, at some point, Mayo will have to make difficult decisions about these players, affecting their careers and livelihoods. How he handles that - and how the rest of the locker room perceives his approach and actions - will shape future relationships and overall trust - critical components in maintaining the locker room's belief.
"You want your players to have a sense of accountability," said Mayo. "You want your players to have a sense of commitment. You want your players to, when they walk out the door, you're not worried about the decisions that they're going to make outside of this building. Once again, we have a good foundation. We have a good foundation, and my thing here over the next few weeks is to rebuild some relationships, knock down silos, and collaborate. That's what I'm focused on."
Members of his staff will have actual titles, which is something Belichick was loathe to do. That may have been because he was keeping the staff payroll down, but of all the many things that irritated Bill, that was up there. Not for his replacement.
"I think titles are important," Mayo said. "No knock to Coach Belichick, who has been a huge mentor to me over the years as a player and as a colleague. What I would say is, I believe titles are important, outward-looking. But as far as in the building, I don't care what your title is. It's what's your job, what value do you bring to the organization? I think that's the most important thing."
Mayo's tenure, at least for public perception, got off to a solid start. Nothing earth-shattering, but he clearly wants it known he's his own man. Now let's see if that continues or if he reverts from a football sense to what his professional career has revolved around - Belichick and Patriots football.