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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots linebacker and defensive captain Jerod Mayo admitted the team was disappointed with Sunday's 31-24 triumph over the Colts after giving up 21 fourth-quarter points, the late-game play overshadowing the positives of the first three periods.

"We started off strong, but we didn’t finish well," Mayo said. "We have to learn to put two halves together."

The middle 30 minutes produced inspired play on both sides of the ball, but Mayo wasn't particularly happy with the team's effort in the first and fourth quarters. The Colts embarked on a 19-play, 67-yard drive that ate up much of the first quarter, but New England limited the damage to a field goal despite Indianapolis facing first-and-goal at the Patriots 1.

"Our mindset is to keep them out [of the end zone] in the red zone," Mayo said. "Now we just have to keep them out the rest of the field."

The late-game struggles even diminished Mayo's first career interception. The fourth-year linebacker, who some have criticized for not doing more beyond the tackle numbers, made an athletic play to snare a Dan Orlovsky offering over the middle of the field in Patriots territory early in the fourth quarter (potentially preventing more damage).

"I was just reading the quarterback and broke on the ball," he said. "I don’t remember to be honest with you. I’ll have to go back and watch the film."

And while Mayo said he'd need to do the same to fully critique the Patriots' defensive effort, he knows the team needs more consistency moving forward.

"We always talk about playing your best football after Thanksgiving," Mayo said. "That's what we're trying to do. Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter today, we didn’t do that."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo might have disappeared from the public eye after suffering a left knee injury in a Week 4 victory over the Raiders, but his impact is still being felt inside the New England locker room, where teammates suggested the recuperating captain remains the voice of the defense.

"Mayo continues to be the leader he’s been since I got here -- helping guys out, doing all the little things he can do and I think he’ll continue to do that as a captain of this team," said defensive cocaptain and cornerback Devin McCourty. "Just talking to guys and his being there, having his presence."

Before stepping into a larger role in Mayo's absence, linebacker Gary Guyton noted last week that he hoped to sit down and talk strategy with Mayo, believing his advice would aid the ability to fill his shoes. Being able to lean on Mayo right up until kickoff is crucial for the Patriots, but safety Patrick Chung noted it's on the field where the team misses his voice the most, particularly in terms of defensive communication (Mayo wears the green dot and calls the defensive plays).

But Mayo's absence caused others to elevate their game -- and their voices -- last week. In that first full game without Mayo, the Patriots produced their best defensive effort of the season, limiting the New York Jets to 255 total yards in a 30-21 triumph last Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

"Not having a guy like Mayo on the field hurts your defense, but I think we did a good job [versus the Jets]," said linebacker Rob Ninkovich. "Everyone is stepping up, knowing that, without him, everybody has to step up. I think we've done that well."

OAKLAND -- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo suffered a left knee injury midway through the second quarter. His return is questionable.

Mayo needed attention on the field before being aided off the field by two trainers.

Veterans Tom Brady and Kevin Faulk were among those that came over to check on his health on the sideline. Mayo took off his wrist tape, which seems to suggest he's not coming back any time soon.

Mayo was unable to walk off the field with his teammates at halftime and was instead carted from the field.

Linebacker Gary Guyton took over the green dot as the player receiving calls from the sideline.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo just held a news conference at Gillette Stadium, and he didn't sugarcoat his thoughts on the team's defense. It hasn't been good enough.

Asked if the defense is better than the numbers suggest, Mayo said, "I think we have great players on our defense. At the same time, we have to go out and prove it on Sundays. To this point, we really haven't done that. The numbers are what they are. We have to go out and try to change those numbers. No matter how good you think you are, the numbers don't lie."

Told that there is nothing that stokes passions like a loss, and that the heat has been turned up on the defense from some media members, Mayo said it's not something he focuses on.

However, he did acknowledge a situation like this -- coming off a loss -- can be a rallying point for the defense.

"The same thing happened with Cleveland last year, and we continued to get better after that. I think we ran off a good number of games in a row," he said. "So hopefully that trend continues. ... You feel it in the locker room, just that sense of urgency to get better now. I wouldn't say pressure, but now is the time."

Mayo also touched on his history facing Raiders running back Darren McFadden twice in college -- Mayo was at Tennessee, McFadden at Arkansas -- and noted he's a home-run threat.

"Everybody to the football, it's all about rallying to the football when a guy like McFadden has the ball," Mayo said of the defensive approach this week.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo received the 2011 Ron Burton Community Service Award during the team's annual Charitable Foundation Kickoff Gala Tuesday night at the Putnam Club at Gillette Stadium.

"It means a lot," Mayo said. "When I first got here to New England, I really looked up to guys like Kevin Faulk and Vince Wilfork. I saw the community work that they did and I just felt like I needed to give back as well. It starts with Mr. Kraft and Mrs. Kraft. Those guys were great examples and hopefully I’ll continue to do it."

Mayo etches his name on a list that includes Joe Andruzzi (2003), Troy Brown (2004), Matt Light (2005), Jarvis Green (2006), Ty Warren (2007), Larry Izzo (2008), Faulk (2009) and Wilfork (2010).

“In his three short years in New England, Jerod has made large contributions both on and off the field,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “Both in uniform and and as an active volunteer in the community, he has done everything asked of him and more. He continually makes us proud to have drafted him in 2008. He is a most deserving recipient of the Ron Burton Award.”

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The Patriots made three players available for afternoon conference calls in linebacker Jerod Mayo, wide receiver Deion Branch, and defensive lineman Andre Carter. Here are some quick highlights from the calls:

Jerod Mayo

The Patriots watched film of Saturday's 34-10 thrashing in Detroit and Mayo said the team is trying to learn from the mistakes they made.

"It was a bad game and we didn’t execute the game plan," said Mayo. "We learned a lot from the film. Hopefully we can continue forward in a positive direction."

Asked about James Sanders, a familiar presence on the field with Mayo, the linebacker offered praise for a player released as part of Monday's cutdown.

"James is a great player," said Mayo. "It's not really my job to evaluate guys and how they do on the field. Coach [Bill] Belichick made the decision and I guess he felt that was best for the team. I have all the respect in the world for James Sanders."

Mayo, a native of Hampton, Va., said both he and his family were affected the same way by Hurricane Irene: Loss of power. Mayo said his family is fine and laughed while noting his power remains out.

Deion Branch

Despite a quiet exhibition slate in which he hasn't made a reception yet, Branch reaffirmed that he's not concerned about the lack of preseason production.

"My job is to go out there and execute the plays that the coaches call," said Branch. "Definitely, as a receiver, you want the ball, but I understand what we’re trying to do as far as working the things that we’re trying to do, working the kinks out in our offense. Trust me, I have all the confidence in the world that [quarterback] Tom [Brady] will find me when he needs me, and when the coaches make the playcall. I’m not stressing over the fact that I haven't caught the ball in the preseason."

Branch said he felt like he's had a good training camp, but said he'd leave that up to coach Bill Belichick and his staff to evaluate (in a previous conference call, Belichick offered praise for Branch's camp).

Branch said the tropical storm that forced the Patriots offsite Monday didn't cause too much havoc at his home in the region.

"It's beautiful today, so hopefully we can get out there and clean up some of the mess Irene left behind," said Branch.

Andre Carter

Like Mayo, Carter stressed that film session was healthy for a Patriots team and the players are eager to learn from their errors in Detroit.

“It was just one of those games that, unfortunately, we didn’t play to the best of our ability,” said Carter. “We didn’t play on a level that we expect to play on. It was just one of those games that you learn from it and just move on. That’s something that we’ve done... From a player or a coaches’ perspective, all you can really do is say, ‘OK, these are the things we need to work on and continue to grow, and these are the things we should never do again.’ And that’s the best way to put it.”

Also like Mayo, Carter said his power remains out. He talked about trekking with some teammates to get food Sunday, but said that power outages at the stadium didn't affect the team too badly on Monday.

"What we always do," said Carter. "There was no other difference after the game or after a day of rest. We came in, we worked out, [we] did stretching, got the muscle fatigue out. What we did was we analyzed the game film, critiqued ourselves, and tomorrow is another day. Just the usual routine."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- After his two-sack effort highlighted the Patriots' ability to pressure the quarterback in last week's exhibition triumph over the Buccaneers, linebacker Jerod Mayo said a player should never get too comfortable on the field.

"To be honest with you, that’s up to Coach Belichick to evaluate us," said Mayo. "You think you go out there and have a good practice, then all of a sudden you watch the film and it’s not as good as you thought it was, or not as bad as you thought it was. That’s up to those guys."

Mayo waited a beat before deadpanning, "Hopefully I’ll make the team, though."

Here are some other highlights from Mayo's five-minute Q&A with reporters, in which he also stressed the fact that New England's defense will offer multiple looks:

On getting pressure on the quarterback against Tampa Bay: "We did a good job of executing the game plan that Coach [Bill] Belichick has, [but] it changes every week. I'm very excited about the way we’ve started off."

On maintaining that pressure: "We're a very multiple defense, one week we may come out with pressure, the next week we might come out sitting back in coverage, so you never know. I think that’s a good quality of this defense."

On the importance of getting Albert Haynesworth back on the field: "He’s a great player and I’m sure when he’s healthy he'll get out there and make some plays for us.... He’s working hard to get back out there with the guys, and I’m sure he’s in his playbook, doing what he needs to do to be prepared to play when he comes back."

On paying attention to off-field incidents with teammates: "To be honest, when we come in here, it’s all about football. Even though we’re a family, we talk all football in here."

On the benefits of a disruptive defensive line: "Those guys, they've played excellent during the whole training camp. It’s very important for all of the linebackers for those guys to eat up a lot of those blockers and allow us to roam around."

On the challenges second-year players face: "You never want to get too comfortable. You think you know everything going into Year 2, but you don’t. You have to continue to work hard in the playbook and on the field."

Tom Brady was unanimously selected to the 2010 AP All-Pro team Monday. Brady was joined on the team by two Patriots -- guard Logan Mankins and inside linebacker Jerod Mayo.

Click HERE to read more about the 2010 AP All-Pro team

Much will be written and talked about when it comes to the matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Monday, Dec. 6. There is no shortage of juicy storylines as Jets coach Rex Ryan has called it the “marquee game of the year.”

From a Patriots perspective, none of the storylines will trump this: If they want the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and a chance at home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, this is a game they have to win. Lose and they're looking at playing a wild-card game on the road.

Five games remain in the regular season and both teams are 9-2. But the first playoff tie-breaker is head-to-head competition, so the Jets have the upper hand thanks to a 28-14 win over the Patriots on Sept. 19.

If the Patriots lose to the Jets again, they would need the Jets to lose at least twice over their final four games to have a chance at the No. 1 seed. And that assumes the Patriots would win their final four games.

The Jets’ final four games are at home against Miami (Dec. 12), at Pittsburgh (Dec. 19), at Chicago (Dec. 26) and at home against Buffalo (Jan. 2).

The Patriots finish at Chicago (Dec. 12), at home against Green Bay (Dec. 19), at Buffalo (Dec. 26), and at home against Miami (Jan. 2).

But if the Patriots beat the Jets on Dec. 6, the picture would be altered significantly, the Patriots improving to 10-2, the Jets falling to 9-3.

In that scenario, the Patriots would have some wiggle room. They could lose one of their final games and still earn the No. 1 seed in a tie-breaker scenario with the Jets. After head-to-head, the No. 2 tie-breaker would be AFC East record, the No. 3 tie-breaker record in common games, and the No. 4 tie-breaker AFC record.

In his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI in Boston, linebacker Jerod Mayo reflected on the first matchup between the Patriots and Jets, and what he expects this time around.

“It was a very tough game the first time we played them,” he said. “We were kind of in control of the game early on and kind of lost it a little bit. They are a great team. It will be a major challenge for us.”

The atmosphere should be super-charged, playoff style, and that is appropriate given what is at stake.

The Patriots’ first public training camp practice is Thursday, July 29, and with 82 players on the roster, there is plenty to analyze. ESPNBoston.com has picked what it feels are the top eight aspects to monitor. As part of the “Countdown to Camp”, they will be counted down with one each day leading up to the first practice.

No. 7: Young linebackers and their development

Why it’s a top issue: One of the Patriots' main weaknesses in 2009 was a lack of a pass rush: The team blitzed more than 40 percent of the time, ranking them seventh in the NFL, which was a sign that there wasn't enough pressure out of the standard four-man rush. The fourth rusher most often comes from the outside linebacker spot. Furthermore, the heart of the defense is the inside linebacker spot and former undrafted free agent Gary Guyton played 84 percent of the snaps there in 2009, the second highest total of any defender.

Why it might change: From a personnel standpoint, the selection of second-round draft choices Jermaine Cunningham (outside linebacker) and Brandon Spikes (inside linebacker), the return to health of 2009 third-round draft choice Tyrone McKenzie (inside linebacker), and, to a lesser degree, 2008 third-round draft choice Shawn Crable (third round).

Historical perspective: The inside linebackers are the youngest in Bill Belichick's 11-year tenure. No longer can Belichick count on veterans like Tedy Bruschi, Roman Phifer, Ted Johnson and Junior Seau, which highlights the importance of development. Cunningham is the highest outside linebacker (53rd overall) the Patriots have drafted in Belichick's tenure.

Xs and Os thought: When the Patriots set their initial 53-man roster in 2009, they kept 3 inside linebackers (Jerod Mayo, Guyton, Eric Alexander) and 5 outside linebackers (Tully Banta-Cain, Derrick Burgess, Rob Ninkovich, Adalius Thomas, Pierre Woods). Special teams contributions are often a factor in that decision-making process.

Looking to the future: How realistic is it to expect immediate pass-rush contributions from Cunningham at outside linebacker? Pat Kirwan of NFL.com examined the topic earlier this year, pointing out that teams relying on rookie pass-rushers should be careful in doing so.

Fun fact: Mayo lives five minutes from Gillette Stadium. "I feel I can get so much better as a football player living near work," he explained.

Camp Countdown:
No. 8 -- Tight ends & the red zone

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Participants of the New England Patriots Alumni Club’s “Football For You” camp at Classical High School on Saturday were surprised when Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo showed up with teammates Patrick Chung and Tyrone McKenzie in tow.

July is the time on the NFL calendar when coaches, front office personnel and players alike get in a last bit of relaxation before the rigors of training camp and regular season. Still, Mayo and his teammates are keeping busy around Foxborough.

“I get up in the morning and go training, come home, and then go training again,” Mayo said. “I’m trying to get my body ready for the grind. It’s a long season and I’m trying to punish my body now to get ready for [training camp], so it doesn’t feel as bad when it comes.”

As Mayo prepares for his third NFL season, he doesn't know who will see the majority of snaps to his side at the other inside linebacker position.

“I’m not sure how that’s going to work out,” Mayo said. “I think Coach [Bill] Belichick and Matty [Patricia] have plans for us on how the linebackers are going to play out. We just have to go to training camp and compete.”

As the competition for the spot alongside Mayo heats up in August, it is likely that fellow third-year backer Gary Guyton, second-round draft pick Brandon Spikes and McKenzie will share time at the position.

Mayo was asked whether there is a chemistry that needs to be developed between linebackers to be successful, similar to that between a quarterback and his wide receivers.

“It is a little bit like that. But during training camp, they mix and match guys all the time, so you build that relationship over time.”

More than 100 campers between the ages of 11 and 14 received instruction from a dozen former Patriot greats at the free clinic and learned a host of football skills at seven different stations.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Linebacker Jerod Mayo was perplexed at the Patriots’ defensive performance in Sunday’s 22-21 loss to the Dolphins, in search of answers for how second-year quarterback Chad Henne could set career highs for completions (29) and passing yards (335).

“We’re struggling right now, the defense as a whole,” he said. “We can’t blame it on one person or one unit, one part of the defense. It’s all of us. We all have to get back to the [drawing] board and fix it.”

Mayo admitted that he wouldn’t know where to start.

“We’re just not playing like we can,” he said. “If you look at our guys on paper, you’d think we’d be a top defense.”

Against the Dolphins, Mayo said the goal of the defense was to stop the run and make them one-dimensional. They accomplished that feat, limiting the NFL’s third-rated rushing offense to 88 yards on 27 carries (3.3 avg.).

Yet the pass defense was easily sliced through, with a big part of its struggles a lack of pass rush.

“We just have to be more consistent on rushing,” said veteran defensive end Derrick Burgess, who was acquired to do just that but hasn’t delivered. “Right now, we have different things going on and we have to work better as a unit.”

A look at snaps played by Patriots defenders in the team’s 31-14 win over the Jets (as charted in the press box, small margin for error):

ILB Gary Guyton – 51 of 51 snaps
ILB Jerod Mayo – 51 of 51
S Brandon Meriweather – 51 of 51
CB Jonathan Wilhite – 51 of 51
CB Leigh Bodden – 50 of 51
S Brandon McGowan – 50 of 51
OLB/DE Adalius Thomas – 40 of 51
NT Vince Wilfork – 39 of 51
DE Mike Wright – 37 of 51
DE Ty Warren -- 34 of 52
OLB Tully Banta-Cain – 26 of 51
OLB Pierre Woods – 19 of 51
DE Derrick Burgess – 17 of 51
DT Myron Pryor – 17 of 51
CB Darius Butler – 12 of 51
S James Sanders – 9 of 51
S Pat Chung – 5 of 51
DT Ron Brace – 1 of 51
S Randy Moss – 1 of 51

(Two false start penalties included in snaps)

ANALYSIS: The base alignment was a 3-4, with the Patriots using a 3-2-6 dime (6 defensive backs) in most passing situations and occasionally a 4-2-5 nickel (5 defensive backs). … Butler and Chung were the fifth and sixth defensive backs in the sub package. … When Chung left the game with a head injury, he was replaced by Sanders. … Mayo and Guyton played every snap at inside linebacker, keeping Junior Seau on the sidelines for the third game in a row. … Including penalties, the 51 snaps were the third fewest the defense has played in a game this season (46, vs. Falcons, 49 vs. Titans). … Banta-Cain made the most of his playing time, finishing with five tackles and two sacks in just 26 snaps. … After seeing action solely on early downs, Thomas is playing again in sub packages as he’s had more of a chance to rush the passer in recent weeks. … Woods played on defense for the first time since Oct. 18 against Tennessee, starting at outside linebacker and working in a rotation. … This was the second time this season that Moss has been called upon as a safety in a Hail Mary situation.

Five quick-hit Patriots thoughts on Friday:

1) Without Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour, many questions have been asked about filling a leadership void on defense. This was the adversity-filled week to find out, and second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo officially declared that a big part of the torch has been passed his way with his strong remarks Thursday.

2) After playing all but two plays in a sub package against the Colts, this week's game should feature more of a return to the base 3-4 alignment against the Jets' No. 1 ranked rushing offense. The outside linebacker spot opposite Adalius Thomas will be important to watch. If Tully Canta-Cain isn't healthy enough to play, it could thrust Pierre Woods back into the lineup. Woods hasn't played on defense in the last three games.

3) The Patriots need to be more efficient in the red zone, but their 25th ranking in that area is a bit misleading when considering the Buccaneers are the NFL's top red-zone offense. Would you rather be the Buccaneers (12 TDs in 17 trips) or the Patriots (18 TDs in 40 trips)?

4) With Jarvis Green (knee) unlikely to play and Ty Warren with a nagging ankle injury, and with the physical Jets running game to stop, this could be the week the Patriots call on rookie Ron Brace more along the defensive line. Brace saw his first action since Week 2 when he was on the field for the final two goal-line plays Sunday in Indianapolis.

5) Nine games into the season, the Patriots have already had five different players as a primary kickoff returner because of injuries: Laurence Maroney, Julian Edelman, Kevin Faulk, Brandon Tate and Matthew Slater. That hasn't helped them in the field-position game. The team's average drive start is the 24.9 yard line -- 13th in the AFC and 22nd in the NFL.

FOXBOROUGH -- Second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo, a defensive captain, answered questions from reporters Thursday in the Patriots’ locker room. Here is a sampling of his answers:

On the fourth-down call vs. the Colts: "We looked at it as a challenge. People say that it was a lack of confidence in us but we looked at it as a challenge and we looked at it as coach having enough confidence in us to give us a short field. Unfortunately we were unable to step up to the challenge and get the job done.”

On facing the Jets: “Any time you play a divisional game like this, it's huge. I was unable to play in the last game so this will be my first game back against these guys and hopefully it will be a good one.”

On Tedy Bruschi’s comments that he thought the fourth-down call was a slight to the defense: “I have the ultimate 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 feeling that this defense or this team has. We still have our confidence, we still have our swagger and we're gonna go out Sunday and show the media I guess.”