Patriots great discusses possible Bill Belichick replacement

Former New England Patriots safety, three-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL analyst Devin McCourty believes Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo can be a successful head coach regardless of if team owner Robert Kraft chooses Mayo to replace Bill Belichick this offseason. 

"He's a leader of men, so no matter where he's at, what role he has, you just hit on it — he's been a huge part of that defense continuing to show up week in and week out because he knows how to lead men," McCourty said about Mayo during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston's "Patriots Talk Podcast," as shared by Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston. "So I think no matter when he gets an opportunity, he would be ready, he would crush it." 

It was thought as far back as last summer that Kraft viewed Mayo as Belichick's eventual successor. That was long before Boston Sports Journal founder/editorial director Greg A. Bedard reported in December that Mayo had "rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building" since signing an extension last offseason. Mayo publicly responded to Bedard's piece earlier this week and said that "part of the job of being a leader is to rub people the wrong way." 

Patriots legend and Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law is among noteworthy individuals associated with the franchise who previously backed Mayo to receive the job if Kraft parts ways with Belichick. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Thursday morning that Kraft has not yet made a final decision about Belichick's future beyond Sunday's season finale against the 6-10 New York Jets. Robert Kraft and Patriots president Jonathan Kraft are scheduled to meet with Belichick on Monday.

While speaking with NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran on the podcast, McCourty acknowledged that Mayo would "need a learning curve in the learning experiences from everything" as a first-time NFL head coach. 

"He's never had to do a salary cap, right? The draft," McCourty explained. "All of those things will be new to him, but I think the thing that he has is he doesn't have an ego. He knows he needs to surround himself with people who are better at that stuff than he is so he can learn and give himself the opportunity to go out there and compete and be a good football team no matter where he's at." 

McCourty noted earlier this week he thinks the Krafts could retain Belichick, in part because New England improved while going from 2-10 to 4-12. If Robert Kraft truly hasn't made up his mind, Sunday's game could impact much more than where New England picks in the first round of this year's draft.