Jerod Mayo: eager and ready to go

It is odd to imagine that having your season end in the AFC Championship game would kick off what is considered to be a long offseason. I guess that is what comes with the territory when your team has championship aspirations year in and year out. Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker Jerod Mayo has never won a Super Bowl, but he picked up the winning mentality as soon as he came to New England.

After taking his wife on a tropical vacation, the defensive captain was ready to get back into the swing of things at the Patriots' offseason workouts:

"It's like we didn't miss a beat," said Mayo, who said he is healthy and hasn't dealt with any offseason injuries. "I think guys took off a couple weeks and then they were right back here working out. So we have a great group of coaches, strength staff, great training staff, so guys don't really go different places."

These offseason workouts are the building blocks for the upcoming season. Though optional, they are useful for players to get an additional edge over their competitors. Mayo admitted that he spends a majority of his year either playing or training for football, but then he wasted to time proclaiming his love for the grind:

"It's always good to be in the weight room, but at the end of the day, playing football is what we're here to do," Mayo said. "We enjoy going out there, putting in new plays, going over plays that hurt us in the past, and just becoming a better football team."

 Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18