ORLANDO, Fla. — Jerod Mayo opened with a joke.

He eased into the AFC coaches breakfast Monday, seated at a large round table inside a beige-colored hotel conference room at the NFL Annual Meeting. He placed a glass of orange juice on the table and eyed his audience of a dozen reporters and two cameras.

“Shout-out to orange juice,” he said, smiling.

Mayo’s crack gave reference to a viral photo of Bill Belichick taken at the 2015 league meetings, where Belichick held a cup of OJ to his lips and sipped through a now famous frown.

Ten minutes later Monday, after more smiles and cracks, Mayo knocked his glass over and spilled juice all over his shorts.

This has been the start of the Mayo era.

The affable Mayo charms his audience and delivers a memorable quote. It’s an instant PR win because every word he utters and every move he makes is contrast against Belichick’s cold, muted style. Then time passes, and Mayo sits in a minor mess of his own making.

Remember the wink-and-nod commitment to drafting a quarterback in an interview with WBZ after his introductory press conference? Now, Mayo insists, all options are available with the No. 3 pick.

Remember the “burn some cash” remark on WEEI in late January? Now, after an underwhelming free agency, the Patriots still rank bottom-10 in cash spending for three years, and the topic remains a sore spot among fans.

Then finally, the OJ joke and spill.

...continued

©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.