Throughout Bill Belichick's tenure in New England, the Patriots became known for being a hard-nosed team who were always more prepared than their opponents and even earned the reputation of being an "unfun" team to play for, despite winning more than most franchises could imagine. That generalization worsened once Tom Brady left in 2020 and declined rapidly as the losses began to pile up in the years since.
That inevitably led to Belichick's departure and the thought that an attitude shift was much needed in the locker room. So Jerod Mayo's fresh take was initially welcomed, but his laid-back approach has now put a lot of pressure on Mike Vrabel to get the team back on track.