Proof Positive the Patriots are Under New Management: They're Actually Addressing the NFLPA's Horrendous Report Card

Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.

Meet the new boss. Most definitely not the old boss. 

Throughout Patriots OTAs and mandatory minicamp, there were a few subtle hints that Mr. Kraft made a bold move to not only move on from the greatest coach the NFL has ever known, but to make a major change the direction of his organization. Little things. Like more and louder music, often playing all throughout practice, instead of just the warmup portion. A significant dropoff in the amount of Jersey Rock, from almost constant to nearly non-existent. Fewer celebrities on the sidelines. A head coach who spent more time in the huddle, as opposed to spinning a whistle around his wrist and telling Army-Navy game stories. A scheduled day off in the middle of practices, and so on. 

And now that actual training camp is here, there are even more signs that this is no longer Bill Belichick's New England Patriots. Like I wrote yesterday:

 … a shotgun snap went over the head of a 6-foot-5 1/2 Joe Milton III, and no one was sent for a punishment lap. It wasn't all that long ago that even Tom Brady would just put his head down, head for the sideline and take his medicine without being told. Or the entire offense would. It didn't even need to be said. It was standard operation procedure. But yesterday they just lined up and tried to do it right the next time. A testament to Jerod Mayo's belief in the Gentle Parenting approach to head coaching in the NFL. 

But since then, there's been an even greater example of how the Mayo Administration is conducting business. Taking the new NFL reality on the new NFL reality's terms. After management got excoriated by the annual NFLPA survey:

With a grades of F and even F-, which I didn't even know existed, in some of the major categories that directly affect the quality of players' lives:

Rookie wideout Ja'Lynn Polk let it be known there have been some serious upgrades at One Patriots Place:

Confirmed by Mayo:

And personally, I'm here for it. While I take a backseat to no man when it comes to my reverence and loyalty to Belichick, like I said when it was announced he'd be leaving, if you're going to make a change, make a change. The last thing I wanted was for them to switch coaches but just keep the same methods, approaches, and philosophy. Look at how many of his former assistants tried to be Belichick Lite, only to have it blow up in their faces. As with Highlander, there can be only one. And the one just got fired because it was no longer working for him. 

And make no mistake, this was not the Pats first bad report card. They knew there was a perception around the league that the facilities for the team and their families were among the worst in football. And they didn't address it because the head coach actively did not want to. He adjusted with the culture on a lot of things. But there were limits to how much he was willing to keep up with the times. He still wanted to keep a foot in the glorious past. To expect his players to conduct themselves with a Spartan-like self-denial. To attract free agents who wanted to come here because football was important to them and winning was all that mattered. To be on the phone with agents and tell them that if their client is serious about chasing a ring, they'll sign here for his price, take it or leave it. 

And it worked, obviously. Until it didn't. Until a couple of sub-.500 seasons and more undoubtedly coming with the way things were trending made change necessary. So Mayo has listened to the rank-and-file of union of which he was a part of for eight seasons. And decided to bring his team into the modern era where seemingly every tech company in Silicon Valley has Foosball and Bubble Hockey tournaments. And some have mediation rooms and yoga classes. You've got to adapt the environment you're in. Especially when you can no longer show players your hands filled with championship rings or remind them they'll get to tell their grandkids about the time they went to a Super Bowl playing alongside Tom fricking Brady.

With any luck, it'll work. Both to change the negative perception around the league and attract talent, and also to make the guys who are already committed to turning this thing around happy.

As long as they're not happy with losing, I can't see any sane Pats fan being unhappy with this new approach.