Times, they are a changing in Foxborough, and it's hard not to notice. The Patriots have been kinder and gentler, not just to the media (let's be real, you don't care so much about that) but to the players themselves, signifying the change in leadership from Bill Belichick to this Kraft/Wolf/Mayo triumvirate.
"We don't got Bill cursing us out every play anymore," acknowledged Keion White, though he did add, "it's still pretty similar."
OTAs are about teaching, fundamentals, and installation. Despite not always being perfect - as you would expect in May - there were no loud voices bellowing expletives across the two practice fields (Belichick and Joe Judge in recent years). While I'm sure there were plenty of eff bombs, they didn't travel to those of us sitting on the hill observing the work being put in. I'm sure there'll be time for that, but for now, Mayo and his staff are focused on establishing the program and getting this new era off to a smooth start.
"I like Bill," acknowledged White. "He's my type of coach, like a hard-ass. I like that. I respond well to things like that. But Mayo's done a pretty good job, too. It's all different. Mayo's doing a really good job of staying true to himself, not trying to fill somebody else's shoes, but create his own path, and I really respect that."
"Really exciting," said Christian Barmore of Mayo's ascension to the head coach job. "That's my guy. Knew him for a long time. It's a blessing."
Mayo and Barmore have a unique relationship, one that is very lighthearted.
"Oh yeah. He let me be - I be myself all the time," said Barmore, smiling broadly. "He always his self. I always have had this relationship with him."
I can say with certainty that Belichick didn't carry himself that way with the players. Again, there's no right or wrong, and Bill's resume speaks for itself, but it is a different era and vibe.
"He brings a lot of good energy," said Jacoby Brissett of Mayo. "The cool thing is you can tell he's trying to make the players on the team run the team. Obviously, he's the head coach, and he sets the standard, but he definitely puts a lot of responsibility on us players. I like it."
"It's been great," added Kyle Dugger. "No complaints."
The complaints will invariably come internally (it was okay to be out on the field for two-plus hours in OTAs, but will that fly in the dog days of August?) and externally (wait til they blow a challenge, punt on 4th and 1, or play this guy over that guy). How Mayo and company handle that will give us an indication as to what they're about.
"Like right now, we're 0-0," said Mayo back at the league meetings in Orlando, a theme he's repeated often this offseason. "We're still in the honeymoon phase. You guys are throwing up these softballs, but I understand what I'm getting myself into as we continue to go down this trail."
TALK IS CHEAP
Oh, how we missed you, Aaron Rodgers. Not that you went anywhere, nor would you allow us to put you entirely out of mind.
The Jets quarterback has been a full participant in the team's OTAs and had the entire beat taking turns tweeting out just how wonderful he was performing earlier this week. Rodgers himself was feeling himself a little, too.
"I mean, you guys saw today. There's no pads on, but I can obviously still throw it with the best of them and can still move around.," said Rodgers, who is coming off a torn Achilles tendon that limited him to a whopping four snaps in his New York debut.
His injury submarined a Jets offense/team - they were 7-10 last year - built around the now 40-year-old signal caller. For an encore, GM Joe Douglas doubled down on this all-in mentality, signing left tackle Tyron Smith, dealing for right tackle Morgan Moses, drafting another tackle, Olu Fashanu from Penn State, in the first round, and trading up to snag YAC King wideout Malachi Corley in the third.
"If I don't do what I know I'm capable of doing, we're all probably going to be out of here," said Rodgers. "I like that kind of pressure, though."
He isn't wrong.
GO PACK, GO
Coming off a postseason appearance, the Green Bay Packers hope to ride that wave into the 2024-25 season. They have a near-full buy-in this offseason, with the best OTA attendance under head coach Matt LaFleur (he was hired in 2019).
Jordan Love, the quarterback who replaced Rodgers in GB last year, is leading the way. He has been participating despite eying a new contract that could vault him to the head of the highest-paid quarterback class.
"It's everything to us," said LaFleur. "I always think when you look around the league, when your quarterback's there, it just naturally has a way of attracting everybody to come. We're still a very young football team, as well, so these guys, they want to put in the work. We've got a lot of guys that love the game and love the process of grinding together and going through some tough things together. But to have him here, you can't put a value on that."
Love could easily be excused for staying away. Tua Tagovailoa has mostly been MIA in Miami, and countless receivers searching for new deals (Lamb, Higgins, Aiyuk) have done the same in their respective cities. That could change down the line, but for now, the former Utah State star is all about what's happening between the lines.
"That's just something that I've always done, trying to be here, get the reps in, get the work in with the guys, and just start building that chemistry and getting ready for the season," he said Tuesday.
Love developed that with his young receiving core, throwing for over 41 hundred yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions in his first year as a starter. Those numbers saw a dramatic uptick from week 11 on, with the 25-year-old tossing 21 TDs against just one pick. And while he threw a regrettable INT in the postseason, Love sees a significant opportunity for this offense to take another step or two, saying it's night and day from where they were at this time a year ago.
"Guys know exactly where they're gonna be at," he said. "We have so much chemistry from last year and built-up reps. It's definitely a big difference."
The Packers have the 6th best odds to win the Super Bowl.
WHERE THERE'S A WILL...
The Patriots weren't able to significantly improve their wide receiver room via free agency. The same can't be said of the Titans.
Tennessee outbid the Pats for Calvin Ridley and then inked Tyler Boyd, adding them to a room that already boasted 1,000-yard receiver DeAndre Hopkins (remember him?). GM Ran Carthon's actions indicate they believe second-year quarterback Will Levis has a chance to be their first long-term answer at that position since the late, great Steve McNair.
Head coach Brian Callahan confirmed the Titans' offseason weapon load was tied directly to the young QB.
"All of that is true," the first-year HC told Robert Mays of The Athletic. "We feel like we've added really high-end pieces at positions that we needed it, and we have a team that is going to be competitive. A lot of that has to do with what I saw from Will, (what) the organization saw from Will in his time as a starter. The things you see in Will are (what) you want to see in your quarterback.
"He's tough. He plays with a ton of passion. It's important to him. He wants to be good. And then you add in the physical part of it. He's athletic, he's strong, he can throw it as good as anybody. You saw the flashes of his ability … I just love everything he's about. He's got real talent and the ability to be a high-level quarterback in the NFL. Those are the things I'm excited about."
Levis started nine games as a rookie, completing 58.4% of his passes for eight touchdowns, four of which came in his debut. I liked how he handled his business, and there are some comps to what Drake Maye went through his final year in college (switched offensive coordinators) and the adjustments he had to make at the pro level (some mechanical issues needed to be resolved).
"Really, really happy with the work he's put in," said Callahan. "What he's learned — there's a lot of information coming at him, a lot of technical things, a lot of mental things, a lot of physical things as far as fundamentals, techniques, how we teach, what we teach. He's attacked it with awesome enthusiasm."
The Pats visit Tennessee in week nine.
BUYING THE BILLS?
In the short term, the Bills are clearly taking a step back at the wide receiver position. They let Gabe Davis walk in free agency and did what I didn't think would happen this year, trading Stefon Diggs for a future second-rounder.
Buffalo then moved out of the first round before selecting Florida State wideout Keon Coleman in round two. GM Brandon Beane is already on record, saying they need Coleman to be good immediately. Though it's only OTAs (and I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, it's not a time for serious evaluation), Coleman has impressed everyone, including his new quarterback, Josh Allen.
"He's a talker, I don't know if you guys knew that, but he's a very smart player," said Allen. "He's been getting in his playbook; he knows it very well already as a rookie. Constantly studying, constantly asking questions. He loves football, I think that's the first and foremost the thing that you learn about him, he loves this game, loves the nuances of it.
"That's fun to be around. You've got a guy that's young and eager — just turned 21 — who has a lot to learn in this game, a lot to learn to be a good player in this league, but I think he has the tools necessary to do that and hopefully we can utilize his abilities."
Coleman is one of many new faces in that room. The Bills signed Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and then plucked Chase Claypool off the scrap heap. Claypool was a monster his rookie year in Pittsburgh (62 catches/873 yards/9 TDs) but was sent away to Chicago and traded again a year later to Miami, where he barely saw the field. But if you're going to roll the dice on anyone, why not take a shot at the big and fast former Notre Dame star, who will turn 26 this summer?
"I think it is tough believing the player that you are or can be and falling short of those expectations, especially over the last two years, for sure," said Claypool, who caught just four balls in Miami. "It is a tough position because I know there's times where it can be frustrating if I'm not living up to my potential.
"But if it's frustrating to the outside world, it's even more frustrating for me. I understand where I should be. And I understand that I haven't met those expectations. And that's why I work harder and harder and harder and harder every year so I can meet and exceed those expectations."
Claypool acted up in both Pittsburgh and Chicago. That didn't fly in either stop and it sure as hell won't work with Sean McDermott in Buffalo. I'm loathed to say this is his last chance - talent always seems to find opportunities -but if Claypool can't toe the line with Allen slinging the rock, then it's probably time to do something else for a living.