HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 5, 2025

JM: Just what I told the players in there, just proud of the way that they came out and competed today. Obviously there were some guys that hadn't played as much football the rest of the season that really showed up today. Just there in the locker room, pretty emotional, but at the same time, these guys have been turning the page, ignoring the noise, and just coming to work every day, and I'm very appreciative of that. Told them after the first win of the season, coaches are nothing without the players, and I just told them that again, and I just appreciate all the effort. Also told them, "look, today it's all about the game. We'll have enough time here tomorrow and the next couple of days to address all the other things." At some point in time here, I'll have my normal meeting with the Krafts and we'll see where it goes from there. I'll open it up.

Q: With that said, you get the win. How strange was this week for you, for your team? You had a couple issues with players and the fans and things like that and also some booing today as you guys scored. What was this week like? What was the day like for you guys and your football team?

JM: For me, the day was fine. I felt like the players were locked in all week, even amongst all that noise. Appreciate them for that.

Q: What would you say to fans that are upset that today's win prevented you guys from getting the No. 1 overall pick?

JM: Look, anytime we step foot – I've said this over the last couple of weeks, as a player, as a coach, we always want to go out there and win.

Q: We didn't see Jahlani Tavai play the first quarter. Was that disciplinary for his comments?

JM: We went into the game with a plan and went out there and executed.

Q: What went into the decision to sit Drake Maye after the first series?

JM: It was my decision, coach's decision.

Q: What were some of the factors for Jahlani's case and Drake's that led you to those decisions?

JM: Yeah, all those things are internal, and I'd rather keep it that way.

Q: What did you see from Joe Milton III today? It seemed like he provided a spark the minute he stepped foot in that game. How have you seen him develop this season to culminate in this moment?

JM: Yeah, he's done a tremendous job in practice as the show team quarterback. Done a tremendous job doing that, and I'm glad to see the way he came out today. He did a good job operating in the huddle. Obviously started off on fire. But it was good to see.

Q: You mentioned a couple of times this year that you guys knew you were going to take some lumps this year. You knew this was a multiyear process. Do you expect to be back next year? Do you feel like you deserve to be back next year?

JM: For me it's all about just this game, to go back to the start. It's all about this game, and we'll talk about that tomorrow.

Q: I think some people speculate based on how you guys handled the game today and played to win that there was some conversation had with ownership prior to the game. Did they at any point this week tell you how they wanted you to handle this one?

JM: Not at all. Just goes back to anytime we step foot on the field, we want to win.

Q: Did you have any conversation with the front office about the approach?

JM: No, I'm the head coach of the football team, and anytime we step foot on the field, we want to win.

Q: Is there any significance to not wearing the pin today? We've seen you with the pin for most of the season.

JM: No, no significance at all. I had a big coat on. It was kind of the same thing last week in Buffalo. Nothing about that. I apologize for not having it visible, but you can make a story about it if you want to.

Q: How do you reconcile if you're going to go in the game to play the game to win, not playing your No. 1 quarterback for most of it?

JM: I think I've said all year, we need to see as the season goes on what we actually have, and it was good to get Joe [Milton III] out there.

Q: Isn't that different than trying to do everything you can to win, though?

JM: We won the game, and Joe [Milton III] was our quarterback.

Q: How proud are you of your coaching staff, of your players and everybody in this organization for just going through the year, and what was it like, I think Alex Van Pelt and Joe Milton III did kind of a handshake after his touchdown pass. What was that like as far as seeing that through and sum up the year as far as what you guys have been through as a group?

JM: It was great to see that handshake in a real game. We've seen it a lot in practice, and it all came together today, so it was great to see. I would say as far as the staff is concerned, just being able to push forward and be consistent, that's all you can really ask.

Q: We saw Austin Hooper a lot more today since Hunter Henry was out and we saw him get a catch that resulted in an extra incentive bonus. Was that a goal going into the game, that you wanted to get him that bonus in this final game of the year? I'm curious if that was a factor at all.

JM: I'm not going to get into that. When you don't have Hunter [Henry], who's had a great year, Hooper – look, any other team, Hooper is probably a No. 1, I should say three-quarters of the teams. Very good player, and happy for him.

Q: How would you best summarize this year, and did you learn maybe that the team is a little bit further away than you were anticipating?

JM: I'm not going to get into that. Like I said, tomorrow we'll have a lot of time to talk about those things, but tonight, it's all about these guys going out there and winning a football game.

QUARTERBACK JOE MILTON III

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 5, 2025

Q: Joe, just take us through your day. What was it like for your first NFL start? You had your touchdown pass, you got your ear worked on. What happened in that situation? Also your celebratory handshake with AVP and what that was like. You had a smile on your face. What was it like for you?

JM: Yeah, today was a regular day for me. I woke up around 8-ish, went back home from the hotel, and usually I wake up in the morning and I walk my dog, but today my dad and mom are here, so today my dad walked the dogs, and everybody else was getting dressed. I don't eat on mornings like this. It's pretty hard for me to eat, so I didn't eat anything at all, so I'm ready to eat. But other than that, man, it was a regular day to me. Felt calm, felt cool. Everybody had my back today, just like every other quarterback that comes through here. The team has Drake's back, and today they had my back. My ear, I do not know what happened. It was kind of shocking to me when everybody said I was bleeding. I was like, bleeding? They were like, are your earrings in? I said, no, my earrings are not in. Then it was just the top of my ear from a scab.

Q: Given the magnitude of this game, what would you say to someone, maybe a Patriots fan, who's a little bit disenchanted with the idea that you guys didn't lose today to get the No. 1 pick?

JM: I mean, we've got to handle how we handle our program as it is right now. We can't think too far in the future, can't think too far in the past. We're just being exactly where our feet are right now, as a program, as an organization. We're just being here right now in the moment. Thinking about a pick right now is way out of our hands. If they're going to give it to us, if they do it, they do it; if they don't, they don't. Today the main focus was to win.

Q: You seemed to be so exuberant during the course of the day. Obviously the backflip after the touchdown run, the celebration after the touchdown pass. When you took the final snap and you dropped to the knee, put the ball under your left arm, what went through your mind in that moment?

JM: Man, I'm going to be honest with you all. Still to this moment right now, none of this feels real. Just because I did scout team the whole year. I didn't know when my moment was going to come. Everybody around the building just kept saying the same thing, just be ready for your moment, and I didn't know it was going to come today. Like I said all week, if the opportunity presents itself, then I'll be ready. None of this today still feels real, and even right now it still doesn't. I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can, but at the same time just be cheerful with my brothers and cherish the moments that I have right now before it's all over.

Q: How significant is this performance for your development as an NFL quarterback?

JM: Man, I feel like today was a great step in the right direction for my development, my future itself, just because you never know. The full length of an average career in the NFL is three years, so just try to take every rep that I get, even if it's in practice or a game, just try to take it serious as much as I can. Whatever it takes to do, whatever I got to do, I do it.

Q: Building on that, in terms of thinking about where you were during the summer to this point, 22 of 29 for 241 yards, a touchdown pass, a rushing touchdown, what do you attribute to be able to get to this level in your first NFL action, and who do you attribute it to, if anybody?

JM: I would say just the consistency we had as an offense, as a quarterback room itself. Coach AVP and Coach TC, Coach Ben McAdoo, Evan, we made sure as a quarterback, we were spot on. That goes from watching film all week. Quarterbacks come in – if we had a game next week, we'd be back in here tomorrow. Rookies got lift at 7:00 and we'll be getting back to it. Just the whole point of the whole part of how we prepare, the way we prepare, the preparation we had for AVP, the way they get us right. Just going through all that with them, that's just a blessing. Who do I attribute that to? I would just say everyone, everyone in the building. Everyone has a choice; you either can wake up in the morning and you're going to come here, drive here in the cold, or you're going to wake up in the morning and be like, man, I ain't going to work, and now you're just letting the whole team down, so I attribute that to everyone.

Q: At what point did you find out that you were going to play today, and what do you think you proved today?

JM: After kickoff. After the kickoff, they were like, you're going in next series. I was like, all right, let's do it.

What was your last question?

Q: What do you think you proved?

JM: I don't think I proved anything to nobody. I think I proved it to myself, like it's always been, just showing that I'm able to be here, able to play this game, and just showing myself that it's me. Without God, I am nothing, so therefore I put everything to him.

Q: What kind of dogs do you have waiting for you to celebrate this performance with?

JM: I got two pit bulls at home.

Q: You mentioned that you're still grappling with this, that it doesn't feel real yet. How long were you waiting to hit that backflip in your mind?

JM: Man, I've been waiting to hit a backflip in a game, period, for at least – I want to say whenever the USC player hit the backflip in the end zone, I've been wanting to do it ever since that moment but two years prior to that moment. I was like, man, I can do it. Nobody really expects me to do it, so when I do it, I feel like it's going to blow up on media. So when I got there in the end zone, I was like, man, nobody is beside me, I think this is my moment. So I just trust it. I did back flips in my past before, especially in fall camp, so I was like, man, it's time. It's the perfect time for it.

Q: You mentioned this week how being on the show team gave you the chance to try some things you hadn't done before. Were there any points in this game where that came up and you tried something you'd only ever done in practice?

JM: Man, I threw a dangerous throw today. No, it wasn't as dangerous because we scored from it, but just throwing back across the field as a quarterback, that's very difficult to do, and a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of coaches tell you don't do that just because you never know what it's going to lead to, but also, that's just bad quarterback play, just throwing back across your body into multiple people, multiple coverage, or seeing a guy open like I did and trusting him, I feel like that actually showed up because K-Boutte actually be on scout team with me sometimes. He gets his extra reps like that, and we've made plays like that before, so just seeing it come to reality was very fun.

Q: Back to the backflip, had you done a backflip – I know you said you had. Had you done one with a helmet, pads, spikes, the whole bit?

JM: Absolutely, yes, sir. I have.

Q: Did you ever not stick it trying it with all the stuff on?

JM: I always stick my backflips. The only time I have not stuck one was when I was six and I fell on my head at home.

Q: After this performance and then coupled with how Drake has performed all season, there's two promising young quarterbacks for the Patriots. What's your relationship like with Drake and how you guys might pair up this off-season and try to keep pushing forward together?

JM: Yeah, Drake is my guy, man. I don't know if there's any other person in this building that's as cool as him. He's cool. You don't see Drake get mad. You don't see him get riled up. He's just cool, calm and collected, and as a quarterback that's how you need to be. Drake, man, just learning from him – it's cool to learn from everybody, especially as a quarterback, because you don't want to be the smartest person in the room, and I feel like that's something I took advantage of, not just being the smartest person in the room, hearing other quarterbacks out, hearing Jacoby speak, hearing Drake speak, and then just actually putting it together and adding it into my own game. Every time I talk, they are willing to listen and figure out what I'm wanting to say. It's been great.

ADDITIONAL PLAYERS

Coming soon!