FOXBORO -- Jerod Mayo did not play in the Patriots preseason opener against the Packers last week, but the veteran linebacker has been active this summer. Coming back from a torn patellar tendon suffered in Week 6 of last season, Mayo has participated -- though limited in some instances -- in every training camp practice.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a press conference on Monday that Mayo is making progress in his recovery, and he lauded the defensive captain's continued leadership.
"I think everybody looks up to Jerod," Belichick said. "Jerod was a captain from his second year on, like Devin [McCourty]. It’s a little bit unusual I think to see players be a captain in their second year. I think that takes kind of a special person to earn that much respect in a short amount of time. Jerod did that, Devin did that -- it’s not really that long of a list. But I think everybody looks up to him -- not just the younger players, although they certainly do.
"Jerod has made progress day by day from last year in the offseason, even during the season when he was working every day in his rehab to the offseason, to this spring, to this training camp. Nobody works harder than Jerod does, and I think he’s making progress day by day. We’ll just see where that gets to, but he’s coming along. We’ve asked him to do a little bit more, either the amount of work that he does or maybe we’ve increased the intensity up a little bit. In the two-and-a-half weeks that we’ve been in training camp, I think he’s handled those well, and so we’ll just keep going here and see how it goes."
The Patriots linebacking corps was essentially a two-man unit for much of last season: Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins. Hightower has been limited during camp as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Collins has been one of the team's most consistent defenders and looks poised to build on his strong surge in the second half of last season.
When Mayo is fully healthy, and it appears as though he's getting there, he will provide a highly-valued veteran presence at the second level of the Patriots defense.
Here are a few more noteworthy tidbits from Belichick's press conference on Monday . . .
New England Patriots
On fourth-round rookie defensive lineman Trey Flowers, who picked up a sack against the Packers before leaving with an injury: "I think he’s an instinctive player. We’ve asked him to do a lot of things, and he’s played a number of different positions. He’s played in the kicking game, which wasn’t something that he did a lot of at Arkansas, but he’s a tough kid, works really hard, and he seems to have a nose and instinct for the ball."
On third-round rookie defensive lineman Geneo Grissom's development: "Yeah, same thing. Trey played inside against a couple teams -- I want to say LSU was one –- but Geneo played in there more. They had a couple pretty good defensive ends at Oklahoma, and so he was kind of the guy that moved inside with [Eric] Striker and the other kid that will probably be out this year. So, he moved a little inside, but he’s played out on the edge a decent amount, too. He played four-technique his junior year, in 2013. Last year, [he played] a little more out on the edge, outside linebacker. So, he’s had more experience doing that. I think that’s maybe come a little more naturally to him. He also has gotten a lot of reps in the kicking game, which has been good. He’s an athletic player, but it’s something that he hadn’t done a lot of. I would say his overall experience in the inside positions is more than say Trey’s was, although Trey had some, too. We’ve been working them both in there, so they’re both getting in [reps]."
"He’s 200 and whatever he is –- 265, 270 pounds. He runs well. He’s athletic. He can change directions in space, and he covers ground. He can run down the field on punts, kickoffs, get back. Or even on the kick returns, being able to either match up with his man or get back and get set up on the kick return game, playing the wedge, adjusting in space. So, for a big guy, he moves well. He’s got good athleticism."
On linebackers Jonathan Freeny (a free-agent signing this offseason) and James Morris (on injured reserve in 2014): "Jonathan wasn’t with us last year. He came in in the spring, had a real good offseason, good spring in terms of his physical conditioning and development and also learning our defense and the communication and so forth.
"James, even though he didn’t obviously practice last year, he was here for a lot of meetings. He’s a smart kid, and he has a very good understanding of our defense. So, he might have been a little bit, even going into his second year, I would say that part of his game was pretty good. He really needed the physical development and the actual playing and so forth. So, he’s gotten a lot of reps and he’s taken a lot of snaps. I think both players are progressing well. I think both of them can help us defensively and in the kicking game and have some versatility. So, I think it’s a good competition, good depth at that position."