HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

JM: Look, obviously that one kind of stings, first loss as a head coach. Just like last week we talked about this game being very important, especially after we practiced against this team. And felt like the guys were ready to go. I've just got to do a better job making sure we focus on the details across the board. And I do always — I always believe good fundamentals really outweighs the Xs and Os. If you look at the game, the first half we tackled a lot better than we did the second half. It's just about – It's those three or four plays that always bite you. That's what I told the team. The problem is you never know when those plays are going to show up. So, back to the drawing board.

Q: You said Drake Maye would get more snaps. What did you see of him, particularly his poise and getting in the end zone?

JM: He had great composure. I thought it was a good drive. I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things. Hopefully he can build on that and we'll see how this week goes.

Q: We haven't had a chance to talk to you since the Matthew Judon trade. I was wondering if you could comment on that?

JM: You guys know how I feel about Judon. And obviously he's moving on. I felt like it's a win-win for both parties and I wish him nothing but the best. I always tell the guys these are long-term relationships and nothing's changed.

Q: Building off that, who are some players you think will fill what Judon would have done for you?

JM: We've gone years without having a premier rusher – Chandler Jones, the Judons of the world – but we were able to manufacture pass rush through our stunts and games and our game planning. It's not going to be one person. It's hard to sit here and say one person can replace Matthew Judon, both on the field and off the field. But I think we have a good group ready to go and step into those shoes.

Q: Jerod, with Drake, it looked like you put him in shotgun, you put him in some empty, some zone read stuff, stuff that looked like what he did in college. How important was it to use some of those concepts he was familiar with to get him comfortable?

JM: It's very important to do those things. Like you said, he did it in college. And the problem is from college to here is just the language. Once you can start to link the language that you learned in college to the language you're learning right now, the game becomes a little bit easier from an Xs and Os perspective. I look forward to see how he builds off of today. But he did a lot of good things.

Q: What went into the decision to play Drake so much more tonight than last week? Was that always the plan?

JM: That was always the plan, kind of what I told you guys last week. That was always the plan to play him more. It was the plan to play him in the third quarter so we can go through some of those adjustments and see if he can handle that stuff. And he did.

Q: I know it's been against backup offensive lines the first two preseason games, but how much of the success that you guys have had pass rushing do you think can translate?

JM: It's been good to see that. I would say if you watch the defensive film against the Eagles they had their starters in there and we still were able to generate a good amount of pass rush. So it's exciting and at the same time, look, it doesn't matter when you come out here today and kind of – you just don't have those impactful plays later in the game.

Q: I know you guys had the designed run at the goal line, but a few of the plays Drake Maye takes off running, scrambles, also scrambling to the side, throws the ball away. How do you feel about your top pick taking off running, escaping the pocket that much in a preseason game?

JM: You don't want to see them take big hits I talked to Joe [Milton II] when he came off the field when he tried to run over a guy. These are grown men on the other side as well. What I will say, if you look at the best quarterbacks in the league, they have to be able to make those off-schedule plays. And I would say all three of them have the ability to do that. It's more about the hits. It's okay getting out of the pocket.

Q: You talk about Drake Maye's composure. I was curious how you've seen that growth throughout the preseason and what tonight especially stuck out to you?

JM: One of the reasons we drafted Drake was, through the interview process you could kind of tell this was an even-keeled guy. I think you guys can probably see it from the stands. This guy doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. He was like that in college. He was probably like that as a kid. He remains that way now, which is a good thing for a quarterback. Those guys, they have to maintain their composure and get the call to the huddle and get those guys out of the huddle, get them ready to go. He's always been like that in my mind.

Q: For Drake's touchdown, you had six rookies on the field at the same time. How have you seen this group gel, and just kind of how cool of a moment was that for all those guys to be there?

JM: It was great. It was great. Look, we hoped that these guys can grow up together and develop together, and we have a good nucleus of guys in the future, and that's kind of what we were aiming for.

Q: How much of a case is Kayshon Boutte making for not only staying with this team, but to be a consistent part of this offense?

JM: He's making a great case. Seems like every day he's making plays. He runs good routes. He has good hands. The run after, the catchability, it's all there. Now it's just about gaining the trust not only of your teammates but also the coaches. So he definitely has a chance.

Q: You talk about there were a lot of details that can be improved. Can you talk about the two drops from Javon Baker; is that something he can practice during the training or that's some concentration he can pay more attention to?

JM: Absolutely. I think it's a combination of concentration, figuring out what he has to do. And look, he has good hands. He had good hands in college. He has good hands now. He just has to show that in the game.

Q: I know you've mentioned in the past that one of Drake Maye's positives is that he can make plays by himself and overcome some things around him. Would the offensive line ever be an impediment to maybe considering him as the starter or maybe not giving him as much time if you don't trust the line?

JM: For me, we always talk about competition, and that's at all spots. So even if Drake beats out Jacoby [Brissett], I mean, he earned that role. And we don't really take that into consideration when he's ready to go, and if he's better than Jacoby, then he'll play; he'll start.

Q: What did you see from your offensive line tonight?

JM: There were definitely some ups and some downs. I would say there's a dramatic drop-off, not really physically, but just knowing what to do between the first line and the second and third guys. They have to get better as a whole, as a unit. They just have to get better, and that comes from playing football games. We have another preseason game coming up. We're going to play. That's the only way you're going to get better at football is playing football.

QUARTERBACK JACOBY BRISSETT

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

(On what he took from the game tonight and the joint practice that he can built off of)

"Lot of room for growth obviously. Operations getting cleaner and you don't want those errors, the picks for instance to happen, but it gives you a chance to look at it and be like, 'hey, this is what I was thinking here.' It opens the room for communication because even when Hoop [Austin Hooper] came back to the sideline, me and him were talking, we just haven't been in that situation before. So it's going to be good to learn from a lot of this stuff."

(On how he would advise rookies on how the energy will change at this point in the season)

"Like you just said, the urgency picks up. Obviously they'll feel – which I think everyone feels – the momentum shift of getting closer to the season and the stakes are getting higher each week that we're here. I think guys are sensing that and we've got a couple more weeks before the regular season comes and got a big week coming up this week right now, I'm sure guys know that."

(On how Kayshon Boutte has instilled confidence in him to go to him as a receiver)

"I think Boutte has done a good job of getting better each and every week and understanding the plan. It's clear every time he's out there, he's making the most of his opportunities, which that's what you want from anybody on this team. I think he's doing a good job of that. That confidence in us, in himself, in everybody is just going to continue to grow."

(On how he felt seeing Drake Maye run in a touchdown when he had done the same his rookie year)

"I told him to keep the ball, he's so giddy that he forgot to keep the ball, it's his first one. It was good, a good drive ended up with him having the ball in his hand. It's a good sign, we're all excited for him, it's his first one, sure it won't be his last. Just got to work on his celebration, I guess, but eight years ago I didn't have a good celebration, I gave the ball to Bill so he did better than I did I guess."

QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

(On playing more snaps and getting a better celebration in the endzone)

"I didn't really plan on rushing one, I probably should have thought of [a celebration]. Usually, in college I would do the finger roll, but I was just happy to get in the endzone and score points. It was fun to get out there. I'm glad the weather held off. Other than that, I thought the guys did a good job. I thought they fought hard. There were the little things: me getting the snap, we had a false start: things that we were preaching over and over again. Operationally, we'll have to clean up as it cost us the game."

(On breaking down this game's tape)

"I think it's an awesome opportunity. I think there are definitely things I can clean up. I had some good things, had some bad plays: dropped snaps – inexcusable from me. Other than that, sometimes I felt I was scrambling when I could sit in there, hang on, and try to make a throw. So, there are definitely a lot of things to learn from. It was good to get out there and get some tape to learn from. Other than that, the guys fought, played hard. You can look at a lot of things, but the one thing you can't question is our effort and that really starts it all."

(On where his confidence is now after tonight)

"I think every time you get out there you get more and more confident. First off, it's always going to be the nerves, getting out and running out there the first time. But other than that, more reps are only going to help me. At the end of the day, I'm just fortunate to be able to get out there get some reps and make the most of my opportunities."

(On his touchdown run with his rookie teammates on the field)

"It was an awesome moment. We spent a lot of time here, in the rookie meetings in the spring, it was just us. It was definitely cool having those guys out there. I think the first thing I did was chest bump JP [Ja'Lynn Polk]. So it was cool to get there with guys in the same spot, going through the same things. It was a fun time for us and a moment I'll never forget."

(On his composure during the game)

"My job as a quarterback is not to get rattled: to stay cool, calm, and collected, especially on the sideline. I tend to throw my helmet or something. Moping like that can go a long way with your guys and how they are feeling and setting the tone. I try to stay cool and calm but I probably need to get more excited when good things happen. My parents always get on me saying I need to get excited when good things happen. At the same time, you can't just ride the highs and can't get too down low."

QUARTERBACK JOE MILTON III

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

(On the ad-lib play to David Wallis)

"Yeah that was truly just my fault. You know just miscommunication on my end. You know, just go back in the film room and study it, make sure I'm perfect at that play. I felt like he was going to help me for the rest of the night, but you know, you wake up tomorrow, you smile, and you thank God for another day."

(On the quarterbacks moving in the pocket and avoiding taking big hits)

"Me getting hit or me landing a hit? Nah, I'm just playing. Just you know, not in preseason. You've just got to take care of your body. You know some of the things I got from the vets is just if you want to play a long time, learn how to slide. So that was something that I took in."

(On the big hit he was involved in and what he will take into the end of preseason)

"You know the crash, I feel like, you know, just it's a part of football. I had one thing in my head that was made up when I was running the ball, and you know just made it happen. But, you know, something that I learned tonight from last week is you've just got to keep going no matter what. I feel like that was something that our head coach at Tennessee, Coach Heupel, taught us something well. You know, just flush the last play, move on to the next play. You never know what's going to happen. On play could be bad and the next play could be a touchdown. So, just learn how to move on from it."

LINEBACKER JOSHUA UCHE

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

(On the team's reaction to the Matthew Judon trade)

"Matt was a big part of our team, high energy guy. Everybody was sad to see him go definitely. Just being around him the last couple years has been great. He's definitely going to be missed. The guys took on the next man up mentality. That's what he would've wanted us to do. That's just what we're going to continue to do."

(On what it will take for the team to fulfill responsibilities as a group)

"Like you said, the word team. It's all about the team. As a collective unit, we have to step up to the challenge. Each one of us has a role to do, a job to do. At the end of the day, that's what we're going to do. Each one of us, including the coaches as well, we're going to come together and get that done."

(On how he views this opportunity for him with Judon gone)

"Like I said, the next man up mentality. Whatever the coach is asking me to do. I'm always going to try to do the best I can to help the team win. I've got to ramp it up. I've got to up my game and do everything I can to help the team win."

(On how confident he feels and how to build confidence throughout the season)

"Luckily for us, we're still in training camp so that's what training camp is for and that's what practice is for, to continue to build up the chemistry. I feel like we've got some veterans on the team that have been here before, been in certain situations before, and it's going to be on us to carry it and build the camaraderie, build the chemistry as the season goes along."

(On his takeaway from this week after joint practice and the game)

"You know, we saw continuity. We came out there and we held them to few points. Going in and bent a little, but we didn't break. We've just got to continue that, we've got to reduce the points. I know it wasn't as much as we'd like, but if they don't score, they don't win, so we've just got to do a better job defensively and just continue to refine some things, come back better."

(On how to anticipate the team's energy change as regular season approaches)

"We try to practice, proper preparation prevents poor performance, so we just try to go out there and treat this like the games. That's going to translate into the games, so any opportunity we get in practice we try to maximize as much as we can and when the season comes we'll be ready."

DEFENSIVE END DEATRICH WISE JR.

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 15, 2024

(On a week of competition against the Eagles)

"We had a great week defensively. We knew what we wanted to do going into the week, cleaning up some of the small details we saw last game, and being very dominant in practice, and we did both of those. We did a great job managing our coverages together, stopping a lot of runs, forcing them to pass, and we did a good job blocking their passes and keeping them to short yardage plays."

(On the Matthew Judon trade)

"Judon definitely left his mark in this building. He did a fantastic job of educating a lot of guys on how he saw the game. He took a lot of guys under his wing. You saw the improvement of the defensive line and the pass rush the last four years he was here. He brought a high level of education and preparation to the game, and that's one thing we're definitely going to miss."

(On the confidence in getting to the quarterback despite losing Judon)

"With the lessons Judon left us along with some of the great players who are here – Uch [Joshua Uche] Keion [White], Ox [Oshane Ximines], myself and Jennings, along with the interior guys, we definitely learned a lot in how to rush together. You saw these last two games, multiple people getting sacks, getting pressures, and getting in their face. That's kudos to him, and also our coaching staff as well."

(On position expectations)

"Honestly, wherever Coach puts me, that's where I'll play. That's kind of how it is. I was blessed to be very versatile playing this game. I came into the league being one-dimensional, and I think I did a good job developing with the help of all the coaches around me. So wherever they put me, inside or outside, I'll produce."