AFC Notes: Calais Campbell, Jerod Mayo, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

Following a slow start to the season, the Dolphins nearly sent DL Calais Campbell to Baltimore at the trade deadline. Miami HC Mike McDaniel implied he pushed hard to keep Campbell on the roster despite GM Chris Grier’s desire to move on.

“It wasn’t like it was Chris versus me,” McDaniel said, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “It was more that Chris looks at it the way I do, or we work together — and I may or may not have thrown an adult temper tantrum.

“The tricky thing about Chris’ job is he has to look long term and short term at the same time, what’s the best for the organization. … We rely on each other for things that I need to be on top of, and one of those is the locker room and what one individual does for an entire team. I think it speaks to Calais because that was a strong compensation for a guy that’s — he just passed the 30-year-old mark.”

Jets

• According to Jonathan Jones, the Jets are hiring The 33rd team media group represented primarily by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman to help in its search for their next GM and HC.
• The 33rd Team commented about a prior post listing potential candidates for both openings and mentioned it was written before the partnership began. 
• Jets HC Jeff Ulbrich said QB Aaron Rodgers is feeling healthier than he has for the past month: “A healthy Aaron Rodgers is the Aaron Rodgers we all love.” (Zack Rosenblatt)

Patriots

• Patriots HC Jerod Mayo was asked if bringing back a winning culture has been harder than organically expected: “I never thought that we would be able to re-establish a culture in Year 1. It’s a process. It’s hard to change a culture. We’re trying to put those pieces together. I think it would be a disservice to get to the end of the year and not know exactly what we have from a player or coaching perspective. That has to be our focus.” (Mike Giardi)
• Mayo took the blame for an embarrassing Week 12 performance: “Yeah, it starts with me. I think it starts with me and getting these guys ready to go.” (Josh Alper)
• Mayo was asked if he would be doing his job differently if he had players he felt could replace those who continue to make mistakes: “That’s a fair assessment.” (Mike Reiss)