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FOXBORO - If he didn't know it already, Tedy Bruschi learned Thursday that he's yesterday's news inside the Patriots' locker room.

The former linebacker's pointed criticism of Bill Belichick's decision to go for a first down near the end of the 35-34 loss to the Indianapolis Colts prompted a response from the current defensive captain of the Patriots, Jerod Mayo - and he certainly didn't mince words.

"I have the utmost respect for Tedy and everything he's done for this organization, but he's not in this locker room at this point in time, so he doesn't know the feelings of this defense or that this team has," Mayo said amid a cluster of reporters in the locker room Thursday. "We still have our confidence, we still have our (swagger), and we we're going out there Sunday and show the media, I guess."

Bruschi, now with ESPNBoston.com, wrote after Sunday's game that he disagreed with Belichick's decision to go for a first down on a fourth-and-2 situation at his own 28 with 2:08 to go, because it essentially told the defensive unit that he had no confidence in their ability to stop Peyton Manning with possibly 70 yards to go for a touchdown after a punt.

"As a former defender on that team," Bruschi wrote, "I would've cared less about the result of that fourth-down attempt. The decision to go for it would be enough to make my blood boil for weeks. Bill Belichick sent a message to his defense. He felt that his chances were better to go for it on his own 28-yard line than to punt it away and make Peyton Manning have to drive the majority of the field to win the game. "Sure, Tom Brady and the offense loved the vote of confidence that their head coach was giving them," Bruschi continued, "but the message sent to the defense was loud and clear. It was a message of doubt. A message that will be with the entire defensive unit - coaches and players - until a situation comes up like this again."

Bruschi wasn't alone in his negative opinion of the fourth-and-2 call. On NBC, former Patriots' safety Rodney Harrison called the decision one of the worst he had ever seen Belichick make.

Bruschi did not have a chance to address Mayo's comments directly during a live chat on ESPNBoston.com Thursday afternoon. He fielded a few questions from fans who disagreed with his initial criticism of the decision, and explained his stance as thus:

"Everyone has their opinions," he wrote. "But I'm a former defensive player and I would have liked the opportunity to win the game with the game on the line. That's how you're supposed to feel if you're a champion. I would have liked to see if that young defense had what it took to stop Manning."

Bruschi also said at the end of his chat that "this week is about moving on to the New York Jets" - a familiar theme in the Patriots' locker room after every game, not just this one. So, at least on that point, Mayo and Bruschi can find common ground as the Patriots prepare to play host to the 4-5 Jets this Sunday at Gillette Stadium (4:15 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12).

Many times before his retirement, Bruschi referred to Mayo as the next generation of leadership on the Patriots' defense. The second-year veteran from Tennessee has clearly accepted that role and takes it very seriously.

"I try to lead by example," said Mayo, who has 46 tackles, the fourth-best total on the team despite a three-game injury absence. "I'm not a rah-rah guy or anything like that. I try to lead by example, and hopefully guys will follow.

"If something needs to be said, I'll say it," he added. "I was the same way in college and the same way in high school. But false excitement or anything like that, it's not the kind of person that I am. Guys that know me know that's not the way I am."

Mayo, who had his first sack of the season in the Indianapolis game, said that the late drives by the Colts underscored the need of the Patriots' defense to perform one task successfully above all else.

"The main goal of the defense is to keep them from scoring," he said, "and unfortunately, we were unable to do at to this point. So hopefully, we can turn it around in the second half of the season. I guess it's a lack of focus. Being a young defense, we have to keep everybody focused and try to make plays." Mayo also tried to dispel the notion floated by Bruschi that the fourth-and-2 call was disrespectful to the defense.

"We were ready to go out there if the offense didn't make it," he said. "We were ready to go make a play and get the ball back. But unfortunately, we weren't able to do that."

Still, Mayo admitted to feeling some angst in the immediate aftermath of the Colts' game.

"That was a rough couple of days for everybody," he said. "But we're over it now, and moving on to the Jets."

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.