NFL football returns tonight as the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans kick off the preseason slate with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

For the New England Patriots, they have another week before taking the field against the Carolina Panthers to open the preseason next Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.

One of the more popular storylines of the young training camp so far - apart from the reportedly shaky play of Drake Maye against air and Matthew Judon's ongoing contract dispute - is the coaching style of first year boss Jerod Mayo.

After a 24-year Belichickian reign in which communications were made in secrecy, no information was shared publicly and certainly nothing was aired in front of the media, the first weeks of Mayo's tenure with cameras in the building have been a complete 180.

Mayo is preaching open communication between coaches, players and media alike. He's empowering players to express their opinions freely and not be frightened of consequences from the head coach or team should there be a disagreement.

Mayo even went as far as to say that he's sure there will be times this year when players take the podium and express their dislike for him or his coaching ways.

Can you imagine a player doing that to Belichick? Better yet, can you imagine what the fallout would have been?

Unsurprisingly however, after spending more than two decades complaining about the lack of sharing on the part of Belichick, the same local media is now complaining about the amount of sharing from Mayo, arguing that he's fostering an environment where the players will take control and not respect authority.

But that's the culture we all live in - where one must constantly be upset with or critical of how someone else is handling their duties.

What do you think? Is there reason for concern or is it much ado about nothing?