Jerod Mayo’s first taste of life as Patriots HC is even better than he imagined

For 24 seasons, the New England Patriots had one man, and one man only leading the way. And clearly things worked out. But after the way last year went, it was also clear that it was time for a change.

And they already had the successor ready.

Jerod Mayo was a natural leader even during his playing career with the Patriots. So when he decided to transition into coaching, nobody was surprised.

He was officially hired as head coach in January, but his first opportunity to truly get on the field and lead the team during a game came on Thursday night.

The Patriots hosted the Carolina Panthers in their preseason opener, winning 17-3. And after the game, Mayo couldn't hide his excitement about finally getting this opportunity.

"I just felt like I was just in my element. I felt great to be out there," Mayo told reporters. "Nothing else really mattered to me."

Last season, he served as inside linebackers coach. And it's a VERY different experience from what he did on Thursday.

"When you don’t have to worry about substitutions and things like that, you kind of see the game from a different perspective, which I thought was great for me today," Mayo explained. "And it was the first time I really got a chance to experience that. Hopefully it keeps going the same way and we do a good job with the subs with our assistant coaches and I can focus on the game in totality."

So going into the game, did he have any butterflies?

"There was more excitement. It was almost like you get on a roller coaster and you just hear that click, like, click, click. And then you get to the top and it kind of is go time," the head coach said after the game. "I mean, at this point you’re so far along, we have nowhere else to go. I wouldn’t say butterflies, just excitement and pure joy, honestly.

This was only the first game, so of course there are things to improve for the coaching staff. That includes how things went with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.

"I would love to tell you that the communication was 100 percent on point," he stated. "But there are definitely things that we need to work out. But for the most part it was pretty clean."

Guess what? This is what the preseason is for!

Mayo is loving life as the Patriots head coach and that's what we love to hear.