Andrew Callahan: Jerod Mayo's growing pains are coinciding with the Patriots'

Mayo cannot soak up the sting of a disappointing free agency as easily as that juice. He alone said the team would spend big. He alone named quarterback, receiver and offensive tackle as major needs the day he was introduced as head coach, and then the Pats patched those positions with Jacoby Brissett, KJ Osborn and Chukwuma Okorafor.

That is the football definition of over-promising and under-delivering. That's an unforced error. That's on him.

Now, maybe there's no need to cry over spilled juice. Who doesn't speak out of turn now and then? Let's take a breath.

Here's the thing: This is about expectations. Mayo set poor expectations publicly for the draft and free agency during the franchise's most critical offseason in decades. That is a mistake in isolation, and a major problem if it becomes a habit.

Because in no universe were the Patriots ever, ever going to U-turn back into contention — except the one Mayo created with his comments over the last two months. Burning cash on top free agents. Drafting a top quarterback.

The vision materialized the moment it left his mouth, and we lived in that vision until the reality of the Patriots' situation and their inability to sign top-tier players burned it away. The next time Mayo proclaims the Pats will extend themselves or he lays out a grand vision, who won't pause before believing him?

The danger is not in deceiving or angering fans. No love is as conditional as the casual fan's: win and they're in, no matter what's been said, done or contradicted.

The danger lies in how Mayo's messaging reaches his players, assistants and front-office members, especially as a new head coach. How did they receive their new leader reversing course on burning some cash or committing to a quarterback? If he's already walking back comments to the media, during what he accurately described as a Honeymoon phase, how firm will the expectations be inside his building?

Can you build trust like that?

Mayo seems eager to win over outsiders; namely, fans and media. But lately, he's been throwing hurdles in the path of anyone trying to follow him via his public comments.

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