'Now I Feel Like I Have a Coach': Keion White Throws Some Very Obvious Shade at the Jerod Mayo Era in NE

Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.

There can be no questioning that since he was drafted in 2023, Keion White has been one of the most promising players on the Patriots roster. A guy who, even in the darkest of times, offered hope that there's some players who bring physical talent, toughness and a serious mean streak to work with them every day. 

And nothing made that obvious like his breakout performance in the stunning Week 1 win over the Bengals, when he shredded Cincinnati's protection scheme to like incriminating documents and sacked Joe Burrow three times:

But as White's sophomore season rolled on and the team around him degenerated into the worst team in football, his play declined with it. He recorded just one more sack the rest of the year. After posting Pro Football Focus grades of 75.0+ over each of the first four weeks, he never cracked 63.0 over the last five. And it became obvious he was visibly frustrated with the state of things in every interview. It just wasn't obvious what it was that put a bug up his ass. 

But this week, White decided to remove all doubt:

… [Belichick], just with a younger face. I think we all know how I feel about that; I liked him.” 

Q: How's it going for you?

White: It's good. I'm figuring it out. The coaches are figuring me out. It's a give-and-take relationship.

Q: How've things been with Coach Vrabel …?

KW: I like him because he's a hard ass. I don't really like a "everybody's buddy-buddy, kumbaya" coach. So he's like "The first thing is work. … If we lead with work, everything else will take care of itself.  

I don't think there's a Son of Adam or Daughter of Even among us hearing those words who's wondering who's that buddy-buddy, kumbaya coach White's referring to. 

So what he is doing is giving us more insight into the unmitigated disaster that was Jerod Mayo's coaching stint. And it's worth pointing out for the thousandth time that it's not all Mayo's fault. He's not a bad guy or a phony or someone who doesn't understand tackle football. He was the embodiment of the "Coach on the Field" cliche for his entire career. But he hadn't ever properly made that transition from being a player - just one of the guys - to the guy whose job it is to drive them to do things against their will, with demands, intimidation, and when necessary, threats. Mayo was the guy in the outfit who gets a battlefield promotion and hasn't learned how to send his comrades into harm's way. 

And it's all so obvious now what White is a guy who wants tough coaching. And he wasn't getting it. So he just basically coached himself as the year went on he just basically coached himself. And he's responding to Vrabel's relentless ball-busting because he's a serious, driven player who's only interested in getting the best out of himself. 

All this is good news. Another reason to feel good about the 2025 Patriots' Summer of Hope. And I'm predicting right now a monster year out of Keion White. And absolute MONSTER of a third season. Mark this down and tell me later if I'm not right.