What Patriots' Keion White misses about Bill Belichick this spring

New England Patriots defensive end Keion White admitted during organized team activities on Monday that he misses former head coach Bill Belichick "cursing us out every play" during springtime practices. 

"I like Bill," White explained, according to Nick O'Malley of MassLive. "He’s my type of coach, like a hard-a—. I like that. I respond well to things like that. [First-year head coach Jerod Mayo has] done a pretty good job too. It’s all different. Mayo’s doing a really good job of staying true to himself, not trying to fill somebody else’s shoes but create his own path, and I really respect that." 

White joined the Patriots as a second-round draft pick last year and spent just one season with Belichick before team owner Robert Kraft parted ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach this past winter. 

As for Mayo, he played under Belichick from 2008 through the 2015 campaign and seemingly has embraced a different approach regarding interactions with current members of the roster. 

In late April, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network noted how Mayo replaced signs that featured well-known Belichick slogans inside the team's facility. While speaking with Wolfe for that piece, Mayo revealed he wanted to show "warmth before confidence" as Belichick's successor. 

"For me, I can respond to any coaching style as long as you’re genuine," White added on Monday. "So if you’re a friendly coach, and you try to be a hard-a—, I’m gonna see through that and challenge the [expletive]. And if you’re a hard-a— coach and trying to be super friendly because you’re trying to cater to certain players, I’m gonna see through that. I’d much rather you just be yourself and be who you are – and that’s what Mayo’s doing and I respect that."

As of late Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Patriots' over/under win total for the upcoming season at 4.5. New England is a rebuilding team that probably is at least a couple of offseasons away from consistently competing with the conference's best sides regardless of Mayo’s strengths. 

With that said, Kraft seemingly hopes that a new voice inside the locker room will accelerate what became a much-needed organizational reset after the Patriots missed the playoffs three times over the past four seasons.