Patriots HC Jerod Mayo gave an answer Bill Belichick wouldn't have in a million years

Jerod Mayo played eight seasons in the NFL and he was a linebackers coach for five more, all of them for the New England Patriots. So he fully understands the intricacies of the league and how it all works. Nevertheless, his experience last Sunday was different. The 16-10 Patriots win over the Cincinnati Bengals was Mayo's first experience as a head coach in any level of football.

As our Sophie Weller mentioned here , it was his first Gatorade shower.

But the funniest quote from Jerod Mayo came after the game, when he was asked about the experience of making in-game decisions as a head coach for the first time. It's something simple, but it shows how different the vibes are in New England after so many years under Bill Belichick. Read this and see if you can imagine Belichick ever saying like this.

"It was just part of ... I mean, I've been playing football my entire life, and I was a great Madden player back in the days," Mayo joked. "I understand situational football, and my staff understands situational football. We talk through those things, and I said throughout the whole week that I have to make the ultimate decision and felt good about the way we operated today."

The fact that Mayo played Madden and was willing to share that experience as a helpful one to understand situation football is at the same time funny and amazing.

On a more serious note, when asked about what he thought after his first win as an NFL head coach, Mayo talked about the people that helped him get there.

"A lot of people say they are self made and things like that, but we all think of people who've helped us along the way," Mayo mentioned. "It made me think about my family, think about my grandparents, think about my pop-warner coaches, all the people who not only showed me the Xs and Os, but also how to operate in life. One thing you guys will notice about me and whatever you guys want to write about, I'm stoic. I try not to get too high and get too low. It's always been my mentality from a little kid up to until now."

For Jerod Mayo and for this new version of the New England Patriots, this was just the first step. And even though a win over Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals was better than expected, there is still a lot to come. In week 2 , Mayo will be the head coach at Gillette Stadium for the first time, when the Patriots host the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.

Related: Patriots players react to unexpected Bill Belichick decision: 'That was not on my 2024 bingo card'