Many Patriots reported to Gillette Stadium on Monday for the start of the nine-week workouts program. The first two weeks are limited strictly to conditioning drills, and the football coaching staff can't take the field during that portion of workouts, according to the new collective bargaining agreement.
Still, Mayo said it's been good to see his teammates on the field, and the conditioning drills have been a good test at this point in the offseason, particularly compared to the unique situation they endured in 2011 with the lockout.
"Just getting the guys back together, seeing all the new faces, kind of seeing how the team is going to jell together, just building that camaraderie with these workouts," Mayo said.
Mayo said he took a couple weeks off to rest but didn't really leave the Foxboro area during the offseason. He's also been working out at Gillette on his own schedule for a while, so this week has been a nice change of pace for him.
"I love working out and just getting ready for the next season, especially [after] ending a disappointing season like that in the Super Bowl," Mayo said. "You always want to get back to work and try to get better for next year."
Mayo didn't exactly want to discuss the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Giants, but he did admit to watching the game a couple times to break down the film. Now, he's able to look forward to next season.
"It's very draining at first," Mayo said of the season-ending defeat. "But at the same time, we know we have to get back to work. We have a young team, have a lot of faces back, and hopefully we have a good team."
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