New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo is drawing on inspiration from a former Patriots rival as he begins his first year as head coach.
That person is Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.
Dungy was part of the heated rivalry between the Patriots and Colts in the 2000s. He got the last laugh in 2007, as he defeated New England on his way to winning Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears.
Now, well over a decade later, Dungy is showing up to Patriots’ OTAs practice and sharing that same knowledge that helped him become a champion.
Those philosophies have really stuck with Mayo, who is embarking on his first season as head coach for the Patriots. He still wants to stay true to himself, but he’s not afraid to take in advice from others.
“I have always been a fan of Tony Dungy, even though the Patriots and the Colts have a little history, but from afar, he’s just a guy who has won games — like big games as a championship-level coach,” said Mayo, via NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel. “He does it the right way. It’s not through cussing people out, or anything like that, which that works, I guess, with some teams as well, but it’s through developing men and women. I kind of want to mirror that.”
It’s certainly important for Mayo to develop his own coaching style when navigating through his new NFL journey. But it’s even more important to show a willingness to take in knowledge from others that are willing and gracious enough to pass it down.
A Hall of Fame coach like Dungy is obviously a great start.