Rob Gronkowski has high praise for new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo

As Rob Gronkowski was building a hall of fame career at tight end for the New England Patriots, linebacker Jerod Mayo was building towards something else. Oh, don't get me wrong. Mayo was an excellent player for New England and with the Tennessee Volunteers before that. However, injuries cut short his promising career. From there, he got into the coaching profession. Look at him now!

While appearing another one of their former Patriots teammate's Julian Edelman's podcast, Gronkowski expounded on how he knew he was watching a future football coach in real time on the practice field. Since linebackers often go up against tight ends in practice, Gronkowski saw first-hand what was potentially coming down the pipeline for Mayo. The same applies to Edelman at receiver.

Here is what Gronkowski said to Edelman about Mayo while appearing on Games With Names.

"Jerod Mayo was just a phenomenon on the football field with lining everyone up and also in the meeting rooms as well," said Gronkowski, h/t NFL.com. "He knew where every player needed to be during any situation that occurred on the defensive side of the ball."

Gronkowski would continue by reiterating how well Mayo could read offenses and diagnose plays.

"He knew how to read offenses, he knew when to call out plays, and he was always correct when he'd call a play out, or else he was just making the whole defense aware of when that play was going to be called. ... He was just always alert, and you could always tell that was going to translate into the next phase of his life."

Here is the entire episode of Games With Names in which Gronkowski appeared talking about Mayo.

Mayo has a bright future as a football coach, but New England is no longer what it once was either...

Rob Gronkowski knew Jerod Mayo had a strong future in coaching

Although it may have presented itself at times that Gronkowski and Edelman had futures in media, Mayo was always going to be a coach. You could tell by how much his predecessor Bill Belichick respected and appreciated him. In the wake of Belichick stepping down, it seemed as though Mayo was handpicked to be his successor. It was not without controversy, but it has started to grow on us.

It had more to do with a lack of a coaching search than Mayo's acumen. He may not have been a long-time coordinator, but he knew the working intel of the Patriots' operation. As long as he empowers his assistants to make a difference, he will have a chance at success in Foxborough. Of course, Belichick did not exactly leave him with a great roster to work with. It was the rubble of the fallen Evil Empire...

In all honesty, it is probably not all that hard to tell if somebody in the football world has a future in coaching or not. They either have the aptitude, and more importantly the patience, to do that or they don't. As for media, and especially broadcasting, that is a totally different beast. Edelman and Gronkowski speak well and are likable. We just wonder if Tom Brady is going to work out in the booth...

For now, we can expect that things will look different at One Patriot Place with Mayo now in charge.