The Patriots Sunday replaced Mayo with Gary Guyton in their regular defense and rotated players (mainly Tracy White and Dane Fletcher) in for their sub packages.
“It wasn’t a Ferris wheel of guys,’’ said Belichick. “There was actually a plan there, believe it or not.’’
The question now is what plan Belichick will come up with now that it appears Mayo will be missing for more than a month. The division rival Jets come to Gillette Stadium Sunday.
“I don’t know the severity of his injury, but you just game plan for the worst and hope for the best,’’ Fletcher said. “Wherever they see me fit is where I’ll be in this game.’’
When Mayo went down in the second quarter, Guyton assumed the lion’s share of his responsibilities, including wearing the green dot that indicates the player who is in radio communication with the coaches.
It’s a position Guyton has been in before. Two years ago, when Mayo sprained the MCL in his right knee, Guyton had to take on his role. They came into the league together in 2008 and sit by each other in the locker room, and the on-the-field effects are apparent.
“They’re very close, personally, and play well next to each other,’’ Belichick said. “They have great communication and both guys kind of can do what the other one does. They flip assignments and positions regularly on the defense just to change up the looks, just to have a different guy doing it … to make the offense read it differently.
“I think Gary has good experience and he knows all the positions … any inside linebacker part of the defense, regardless of what our front is and so forth, he’s pretty adept and he’s a real sharp guy.’’
Play-calling is something Belichick said the team works on in every practice, switching who wears the green dot on occasion. In the preseason, the responsibilities fell on Fletcher.
