Jerod Mayo

Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo made his weekly appearance on the Mut & Merloni show Friday morning. To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.

The Patriots closed out the preseason Thursday night with an 18-17 loss to the Giants in which New England took a 17-3 lead before going to its bench in the second half. The starters normally don’t play much (if at all) in the fourth preseason game, but the Patriots needed to get the bad taste of the previous week’s game out of their mouths.

“That was a disappointing performance at Detroit,” Mayo said. “I guess coach [Bill Belichick] felt like we needed to be back out there against the Giants, and I think we went out there and played well.”

Defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis made their debuts in a Patriots uniform Thursday, and Mayo said their presence makes a big difference to the guys playing behind them. “It’s always good to have disruptive people in front of you,” he said.

Entering his fourth season, Mayo has become a leader on the defense.

“When New England first looked at me, back in ’08, you think about the linebacker room alone, the guys that we had in there, the experience that we had there with the Mike Vrabels, the Tedy Bruschis, the Rosevelt Colvins, all those guys, that’s 10-plus years per person. Now, our room is pretty young.

“I just take a leadership role, getting everybody here, just trying to make sure everyone’s on the same page. But like you said, having that green dot on your helmet is a lot of responsibility.”

Added Mayo: “I’m more of a guy who likes to lead by his actions. Hopefully, guys see what I’m doing and try to follow.”