Last modified: Friday, January 2, 2009 3:24 PM EST New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo (51) puts hit on Arizona Cardinals running back Tim Hightower (34), knocking the ball lose. (Staff photo by Keith Nordstrom) Mayo named AFC defensive rookie of the year BY MARK FARINELLA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO — When Jerod Mayo arrived at Gillette Stadium for the first time since becoming the Patriots’ top draft selection, he expected the worst. He found the best, however — and that may be why he was named the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Coming out of college, I had heard horror stories about different teams, and how coming in as a rookie, the guys really won’t help you and things like that,” the inside linebacker from Tennessee said via conference call. “So I came to the Patriots’ organization thinking the worst, like these guys weren’t going to help me, they didn’t want me to play and things like that. It was the exact opposite. “When I first walked through the door, (Tedy) Bruschi was there, (Tom) Brady … they sat me down and welcomed me,” he continued. “They told me that if I needed anything, we exchanged numbers and from that day forward, the older guys like Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, (Mike) Vrabel and Adalius Thomas, all those guys were really taking me under their wing. I tried to learn as much as I can from them about how to be a professional on and off the field.” Mayo, the No. 10 selection in the first round, earned 49 out of 50 votes from a panel of sportswriters covering the NFL. He’s sixth straight linebacker to win the award and the second Patriot, the last being Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Michael Haynes in 1976. “It’s a great honor,” he said. “I look at it more as a team award because I couldn’t have done it without 75 (nose tackle Vince Wilfork) in front of me or 93 (defensive end Richard Seymour) — none of those guys, those big guys in front of me, and the secondary keeping the ball in front of them. So, I see it as a team award.” Leading the Patriots in tackles this year with 139, Mayo was a bright spot among a linebacking corps that was riddled with injuries throughout an 11-5 campaign that just fell short of making the playoffs. During the course of that season, many of the players that served as mentors to Mayo were taken off the field by injuries. But, the rookie said, the Patriots found ways to compensate for their losses and keep winning. “To be honest, it didn’t really change anything,” Mayo said. “Of course, I missed those guys out there. especially Bruschi. He was like an older brother to me on the field and off the field. We still talked every day and went over game-plan things. “But on the field, we had guys really step up and play some good football,” he said. “I was out there with another rookie, Gary Guyton. He played some good football this year. It was really the case of people stepping in and filling in those roles nicely … smooth transition.” Mayo said that his move from college to the pros was not as smooth as it may have seemed to those who watched what looked like a seamless transition. “It was really tough, to be honest,” he said. “There were a lot of hours after practice with Coach (Matt) Patricia, the linebackers coach, and a lot of hours with Bruschi — I couldn’t have done it without those guys, spending extra time with me on and off the field. I’m still not to the point where I’m just out there reacting yet, but I pretty much have the basics of the playbook. “Everybody talks about the rookie wall and things like that,” he continued. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to you and say that my body wasn’t getting tired or mentally I wasn’t getting tired. But at the same time, as the season went on, the last two or three games I started getting that extra energy and that anticipation that we were going to go to the playoffs. It’s a long season, but at the end of the day the main goal is to win the Super Bowl, and I’m sure I could have made it the rest of those games.” It also came as a surprise to Mayo that he wound up starting all 16 games for a team that had been to the Super Bowl the previous year. “It definitely was a surprise,” he said. “Those guys had won 18 games the previous year. So, there wasn’t too much in my mind to improve on an 18-win team. But, the opportunity presented itself to go in and play. Coach (Bill) Belichick, Coach (Dean) Pees and Coach Patricia had enough faith and confidence to put me in the game and hopefully I didn’t disappoint.” That would seem to be a no-brainer. In the AP story announcing the award, Belichick lauded Mayo for his maturity and preparation. “Jerod’s done a lot for us,” Belichick said. “We’ve asked a lot of him and from Day One he’s really been a well-prepared, very mature player who can do a lot of things — play the running game, play in the passing game, blitz, helps us in the kicking game. “He’s smart, makes a lot of defensive adjustments and calls for us there,” Belichick said. “He runs well. He’s tough. He’s a good all-around football player, very mature, very professional. For a rookie, he’s probably as professional as anybody I’ve coached.” But the player that made 23 tackles (17 solo) in a Nov. 13 game against the New York Jets still believes he can become a better player — and to that end, he said Wednesday that he was prepared to spend most of the offseason in Foxboro, working out and studying. “It’s a non-stop thing for me,” Mayo said. “Football is my life. I love football. I’m going to study this past season, the things I did well and the things I did poorly and try to improve on those things. I feel like there is still a lot of room for me to improve my game. I will meet with the coaches and ask them, ‘What can I do to get better?’ “I’m trying to have a great season next year,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll make it to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.” MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella’s blog, “Blogging Fearlessly,” at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.