Despite making a lot of tackles [Jerod Mayo] was rarely a downhill, impact type of player and seemed more of a clean-up specialist than a linebacker really influencing the game. In this regard he was not unlike the Jets’ David Harris. This season though, the move to the 4-3 seems to have helped him be more of a downhill force. He is making more of his tackles in the right area. 39 of his tackles have been defensive stops this season, a far better ratio than in previous seasons where he was aligned slightly further back from the line of scrimmage so that he could control both sides if necessary. The hype for Mayo has always outweighed the real impact he has on the defense, but it would also be somewhat unfair to say that he does little of substance, as his contribution and reliability are not to be underestimated, and he does get involved in a lot of plays, even if it is almost always fewer than the generosity of the New England scorer would suggest. The area where he still struggles the most is in coverage, where he has allowed 416 yards this season with 319 of them after the catch. Only four other 4-3 OLBs have allowed more YAC than Mayo has this season and throwing into his coverage yields opposing QBs a 92.0 QB rating.
Pro Football Focus Interview With BSMW — Boston Sports Media Watch
Thanks to Frenz for the heads up on this article. Last year when me and Frenz were tailgating before the Giants game we had a long discussion of Mayo asking if he was overrated. There’s no question he has all the intangibles you look for, though I do have a slight preference for fiery guys on the inside like Spikes. He started to make some big plays last year, like the game sealing interception against the Redskins. Still, his pass coverage can be glaringly awful at times. Just look at this play from the Super Bowl.
That should be an interception or the very least a pass defended. It’s the perfect call but Mayo just doesn’t get his head around. There’s a lot to like about Mayo, but there’s also a lot of places he can improve.
