PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

November 20, 2024

JM: Good morning. Look, as always, win, lose, or draw, on Wednesday, we change the page. No different this week. I did have an opportunity today in the squad meeting to kind of show the areas that we've improved at and things that we just have to get better at, and I think the guys really took that stuff to heart. One thing just on both sides of the ball as far as targets are concerned is protecting the football and the takeaways. We just have to do a better job in those two areas. It's good to get back in the division. I will say this isn't the same Dolphins team that we played before. That was also a reminder to the guys where you feel like you know a team. At the same time, they're going to do things different, and Tua's [Tagovailoa] here. You can see just the difference in that offense with Tua out there. Very good player for them. Talk about their receivers, obviously one word to describe those guys is fast. Those guys are blazers. We have some fast guys on defense, too, so this will probably be a little bit more of a matchup game, but those guys have fast players on the outside. I will say the backs don't get enough love. I think their running backs are very good, especially with the scheme that they run. Then the tight end, Jonnu [Smith] is doing a good job and has been coming on as of late as far as his run after catch stuff, so doing a good job for them there. Defensively, it starts up front. It starts up front with the bigs, [Zach] Sieler and [Calais] Campbell. Very active, very active up front. It's going to be a challenge, or an opportunity, for us to go out there and do a good job on those guys. Once you get the down guys there, you go to the next level; I would say [Jordyn] Brooks is doing a good job as the season continues to progress. Then obviously in the back end, you have some good players there in [Jalen] Ramsey, [Jevón] Holland and the rest of those guys. Definitely going to be a huge challenge for us. One piece of good news, Cole Strange will return to practice today, which is exciting, not only just for him to get back out there, but just understanding the journey that he has taken to even get to this point. Oftentimes, those things get looked over, but it is a journey. Any time you're coming back from injury, which I know the feeling, it's not a straight line to getting back to the way you used to play. It takes time going through rehab and all those things. It's been a long year for Cole, but again, we're excited to have him out there. Questions?

Q: Is there a timeline for when Cole may be able to return to the game field, or are you kind of just taking it day by day?

JM: Yeah, we've just got to take it day by day. Like I said, this is his first time out there, just take it one day at a time.

Q: You mentioned previously that Cole could see snaps at center. Will he focus on center when he comes back, or will he play guard?

JM: Well, first I think just going through the individual drills and seeing how he responds to that stuff is the most important thing. He does have the flexibility to play center and play guard. He's been getting extra work at center. Dave Andrews has done a good job with him as well. Going back to a guy that – he's on IR for the year, but just his leadership remains in the building. One of those tasks has been to help Cole understand the center position while he wasn't able to be on the practice field.

Q: When you look at Miami – I'm sure in the past, you've looked at this –that four-straight you've lost, six-of-seven. Do you do anything different as a head coach? Do you get in earlier? How do you look at what goes on in Miami for you guys as a franchise?

JM: I would say this year, when you go to Miami at this point in the year, it's a lot different than going to Miami at the beginning of the year. So, for us, it comes down to execution. That's what it comes down to.

Q: We didn't ask you about it the other day, but obviously the team moved on from Tyquan Thornton. We saw he's signing in Kansas City. Just your thoughts on what went into the decision?

JM: Yeah, I think there was a lot of love for Tyquan. Obviously, he's a fast receiver, and he did a lot of things right. In saying that, we're always trying to do what's best for our football team.

Q: Just kind of curious, what are your weekly interactions like with Drake Maye? Sit down with him one-on-one? Do you totally leave him to AVP [Alex Van Pelt]? What's your interaction?

JM: No, I think the head coach always has to have a good relationship with the starting quarterback, and we talk every day.

Q: Caedan Wallace. Start the clock or not yet?

JM: Not yet. Not yet on Caedan. One at a time, Mike [Reiss]. One at a time.

Q: Jerod, what did you guys see from Titus Leo that you wanted to work with him?

JM: Yeah, just a versatile player. He has good size, good athleticism. Hopefully, he can help us on defense and really special teams as well.

Q: Did you get to know Jim Montgomery at all? I know your time didn't overlap a ton, but did you guys have a relationship?

JM: No.

Q: Jerod, when you see the way that Drake's been playing and seems to be improving each week, is there any part of you that's surprised with how well he's been playing?

JM: No, I will say this: one of his strengths that you continue to see now, he's not a repeat-error guy. There are definitely looks that he still hasn't seen, or we haven't practiced against. It may confuse him at first, but he's not a repeat-error guy, and that's a good trait for a quarterback to have.

Q: Jerod, I know you said looking to extending plays is the most important quality you want in a quarterback, you see in a quarterback. When did you come to believe that, and what made you come to that realization?

JM: Look at the quarterbacks around the league that we throw in the top tier. All of them have the ability to extend plays. Now, with that being said, he is a quarterback, and there are times where it's like, 'Just stay in the pocket and throw the ball.' But to be able to at least even have the threat of scrambling definitely helps offenses out and the offensive line.

Q: Because that's obviously different from the quarterbacks you faced when you were playing, right? Mostly pocket-bound guys, and since you started coaching here, the top quarterbacks have that kind of mobility and ability to extend. Is that something that changed in your philosophy or viewpoint during those periods?

JM: I would say there was a mix of quarterbacks, at least when I played. It may not be, let's say, Lamar Jackson, but you've got to think. Michael Vick was doing some of that stuff. I would also throw a guy like Ben Roethlisberger in there. He wasn't very elusive, but he was hard to bring down in the pocket. So, I mean, I'm sure you've seen all the missed tackles on Ben Roethlisberger, but that also is an extended play.

Q: Every team seems to have at least two really top-tier receivers, from the Bengals, Seattle. Last week, you guys dealt with [Cooper] Kupp and [Puka] Nacua. How do you guys determine – when you see [Jaylen] Waddle and Tyreek Hill – how do you determine what you're going to do in the secondary week-to-week? When do the conversations start?

JM: Well, I think the first thing, this is a little bit different. You look at last week, it was more about the size matchup. This week, it's about the speed matchup. We have guys in the locker room who have covered those guys relatively well, and we just have to continue to do that. I would say when you look at matchups like that, it's always fun to see a guy travel with a guy. But again, they learn you, and you're learning them during the game. I think there is something to sometimes changing those matchups up just to throw it off.

Q: I was going to ask somewhat of a similar question, just based on what you had said in the opening statement. They have speedy guys, and then you have speedy guys, so it might be more of a matchup game.

JM: No, that's right. That's exactly right.

Q: I was wondering if it was any follow-up off of the Rams game where some of our discussion was with Christian [Gonzalez] and matchups –

JM: Which is a fair point. What I would say, I went back and looked at that as well. So, in the man-to-man snaps, Christian was on one of those top two guys the majority of the time. Now in zone, I mean, it really doesn't matter. No, I shouldn't say it doesn't matter where he is, but in those man-to-man snaps, he was, for the most part, where we wanted him to be.

Q: Jerod, as you've watched the Dolphins under Tua, since he became their quarterback, why does he fit this offense so well? The ball comes out so quickly.

JM: That's right. Yeah, I think the first thing is you have a bunch of receivers, and now even putting the back and Jonnu in there as well, they have good run-after-catch ability. You hit it on the head; the quickness that the ball comes out and gives those guys an opportunity to run is definitely a strength of Tua's.

Q: Cornerback, wide receiver conversation. How much, if at all, does history play into it when you talk about a guy specifically, like Jonathan Jones and Tyreek Hill?

JM: I think you take those things into consideration, while at the same time maintaining the right to kind of change those matchups up.

Q: Jerod, historically, Miami has been a weird place for this team to play no matter the time of year. Why do you think that is, and do you address that with the guys this week?

JM: Yeah, I think it – well, first and foremost, I won't address it with the guys as far as the struggles that we've had in Miami, even though they're probably listening to me right now. But what I will say is every game is unique. Every game is unique. It's a tough place to play. It's not that it's super loud or anything like that. We just haven't been able to get over the hump.

Q: Coach, sorry to keep harping on the matchups in the Rams game, but in some of the base packages in the red zone where there were only two receivers, in hindsight, would you maybe have put Christian [Gonzalez] on one of Kupp or Nacua if DeMarcus Robinson was the other receiver, or did you think the plan was solid?

JM: No, we thought the plan was solid with still being able to change it if need be. So, that's how we thought.

Q: Jerod, how important was it to have – the first time all season we've seen back-to-back with the starting O-line the same. How important was that, and do you intend to kind of be the same this week?

JM: It's huge. It's huge. Look, we'll see what this week looks like. But we've been talking about this since training camp, the continuity up front. What I will say is having that group up front and really starting the games faster has definitely helped us.

Q: What's been the advantage of having Mike Onwenu in at guard versus tackle in these last two weeks?

JM: Yeah, just solidifying the inside part of the pocket. You always want to make sure that the quarterback has an opportunity to step up in the pocket, especially with two good edge rushers.

Q: You mentioned protecting the ball and getting takeaways. What aren't you seeing defensively that leads to takeaways?

JM: These guys – I mean, it's a mindset, and it's about gang tackling and punching at the ball. I've always believed that turnovers come in bunches. So, hopefully that's the case now.

Q: You've mentioned this, kind of being a rookie coach and the learning season for you, too, like any rookie. Have you found that the trial and error part or component of it has lessened over time, or is there so much more for you to glean as the season goes on?

JM: Yeah, I think there's so much more for me to learn. I had a conversation – who was I talking to? I was talking to someone, and they have a good relationship with Andy Reid. He asked him what he did in the offseason. This is after he's a seasoned coach, all these Super Bowls, and he just watched like a thousand plays of just red-area offense and defense. To me, you have to stay growing. You can't be stagnant in this world.

Q: So, Drake had eight scrambles against the Titans a few weeks ago, and we've asked you about designed runs for the quarterback. You said he's taking enough hits just scrambling around, and you guys have been okay with that. The scramble numbers have come down the last couple weeks; I think he's got seven in the last two games.

JM: Yep.

Q: Would you guys reconsider that plan for the designed quarterback run game if he's not scrambling as much?

JM: Well, our message to Drake – and we've had multiple conversations about this – is to maintain being a quarterback as long as possible, and that's what we expect. Now, in saying that, absolutely there will be game-plan runs at a certain time. We're still evolving as an offense, and I think Drake is continuing to get better. So, we'll put more on his plate.

PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE

PRESS CONFERENCE

November 20, 2024

Q: Drake, what you saw last week from your team, you talked a little bit about post-game. Do you feel like you're getting closer? What is it that's holding you back a little bit in the red zone, some aggression, things like that to give you guys an optimal offensive performance?

DM: Yeah, I think we moved the ball well. First of all, the Rams are a good defense, good up front. Obviously, we had some chances, and like I said down there in the red zone, if we just punch it in, I don't think it was something that they did. I think it's just on ourselves, whether it's go the extra effort, or maybe some little things here or there. I think we moved the ball well. Those guys put some good film on tape. At the end of the game we had a chance there, and I put that on myself to go make a play down the stretch. I got the ball in my hands to win the game. You want that scenario, so I think we're right there. Like I said, it's being more successful in the red zone. I think we've been striving on that and focusing on that. I think maybe in red zone day this week, or just in general, just study it more and put some more effort into it.

Q: Drake, you didn't play last time the Patriots played the Dolphins. What do you remember about that game, and what did you learn watching it back?

DM: Yeah, I think they fly around. I think every team we play has got a good front. They're good up front. Calais Campbell's still making plays, and they said he's one of the nicest dudes in the league, but he's still up there trying to take my head off, I'm sure. They're good in the back end. They've got some veteran guys that have played a long time in this league and are good players, and same thing really in the linebacker corps. We've got a tall task, but I think it starts with running the football. I think every week, be able to run the football. They're going to mix up some looks, so just taking what they give me, and be smart protecting the football.

Q: When it comes to leadership and leadership skills specifically, who do you look to as a model? Who's been an important leader for you over the course of your lifetime?

DM: That's a good question. An important leader for me in my lifetime?

Q: Either on or off the field, coach, individual.

DM: Yeah, just being around sports, I'll probably say my dad. Just watching him, not only a leader in the household, but a leader in sports in general. He's always coached us growing up, and I think the way that he approached forcing me at a young age to get in the huddle, and say something to the team, or break the team down. At a young age, I think my dad introduced me to some things because he played a short stint in the NFL for a little bit. He was with Tampa Bay for a year, but playing in college and playing at a high level, he introduced to his boys about how to lead and what it takes, what you need and what comes of it.

Q: Drake, you've gotten a lot of praise for your field vision and your process. I'm curious, from your perspective, when you're reading a defense, in your head, is it, 'they're cover two, they're cover three?' Are you just reading space and leverage, or how are you seeing the defense and what's really going through your head?

DM: Yeah, I think that kind of comes natural. I think you always try to check the safety structure. I think that helps any type of quarterback, but I think the best thing is just spatial reasoning. Like you said, seeing the space or seeing the guy, and that also comes with feeling the guy out. Just kind of seeing how the route is run, and I think that comes with time. Hunter [Henry] may be doing this against this coverage, or maybe versus man. I think just feeling out the guys and seeing how they run routes versus different man and zone, and also just getting reps at it. I think that's the biggest thing.

Q: How much more complex is the post-snap stuff at this level compared to what you saw at North Carolina, and how has that been coming to you?

DM: Yeah, I think defense coordinators, they try to do the same type of stuff post-snap, and I think the guys up front make it a little tougher post-snap. In the NFL, I think you feel a little more pressure, feel a little more heat, and obviously the guys in the back end are better, tighter coverage. I think the same type of stuff of fire zones, blitz zones, and bringing five, bringing six, or dropping guys out. I think the amount of tighter windows and maybe a little more heat you feel up front.

Q: Drake, as someone as naturally as talented as you are, you have a strong arm, you can obviously run around. How have you learned the discipline of letting plays go or not trying to force them, understanding sometimes those lead to turnovers or sacks, and living to see another day is sometimes the best play?

DM: Yeah, I think I've got to do a better job of that. I think you mentioned it. It may sometimes be throwing the ball away as the best play or even an incompletion. I think at times you saw Jacoby [Brissett] do a great job of that, of just throwing it in the dirt. Even taking a short sack is what we talk about in the quarterback room. I think T.C. [McCartney] does a great job of those little things, those little reminders that can go a long way of knowing when to do things situationally. I talked about the one in Tennessee, where it's the third down and we're at midfield. We got a chance to pin him deep on a punt and throw an interception. It causes a short field for the defense. Little things like that you grow and learn and try not to replicate those mistakes.

Q: Is there a way to practice that or rehearse it?

DM: Yeah, it's tough. It's tough in practice to just run in plays on first and second down plays. I don't think you really get the situational part. I think that's why it's big for having AVP [Alex Van Pelt] and T.C. I think they're so great with so many different experiences of talking through, 'Hey, this is what we do and this is what we want you to do,' or, 'This is probably the best thing for our football team at this standpoint.' Jacoby's great in-game reminding me, 'Hey, it's not bad here to think this,' or little things like that.

Q: Why do you feel your team has done pretty well offensively at the starts of games? Recently, you've been very good in the first quarter, generating points on most of the drives in the last few games. Why has that been so good?

DM: I think it's credit to AVP and the guys of knowing the first initial calls. I think we studied that hard on Friday and Saturday of knowing, 'Hey, this is the first plays coming out of the ball game and this is what we're expecting.' I think the guys have really responded well. I think early on in the year, guys lost focus on those, whether the first 10 or 15 or 20 plays, and then we had them up on the call sheet. Guys know what they're expecting, or sometimes it doesn't really all come off of the play sheet. I think the guys have done a good job of studying that up and really focusing on it.

Q: When you change your arm, when you're rolling right, when you drop down to side-arm, you switch hands, is that a conscious act? Is that instinctive? Where does that ability to do that, to have the ball on target, on time, come from?

DM: Yeah, just instinctive, really. I think some of it probably is like, 'what is he doing out there,' trying to throw away passes and little stuff like that. That's just instinctive. I think just from growing up, playing with the ball in the backyard or little things, just playing different sports. Like I said, changing the arm angle and playing dodgeball or who knows what. I think some of it just comes instinctively and just out there playing ball.

Q: Drake, adding on to my earlier question, Kyle Rudolph mentioned how when he was playing with [Tom] Brady, he was different from other quarterbacks because instead of running to a specific depth, he'd say, 'hey, if you're in space, give me your eyes so you're available.' Is that how you process? Or as a young guy, are you trying to stick more to the details, or is there some balance?

DM: That's what I'm telling Hunter. Hunter and those guys on the field, sometimes you're just going out there and playing football. I think, sometimes, these guys get into running the route that's on the sheet of paper or at this depth. I think, at some point, it just turns into playing ball and making plays. I think we're trying to figure that out a little bit. I think Hunter and those guys are starting to see it. I think last week on the play coming back on a penalty, what Hunter did sitting in the zone, and little thoughts like that. I think you're going to start to see a lot of strides in that area with different guys moving around and getting comfortable in their spot. You can see some evolution of different things that will help us make some more plays.

Q: We've seen you targeting Hunter a lot. He's become a very reliable receiver. What is it about him that makes it so easy for you to go to him at any moment?

DM: Yeah. First off, he's scored like 30 or 40 touchdowns in this league, so he's had a lot of success. He's done it with a guy with Phillip [Rivers] in San Diego. Then he was in L.A. with [Justin] Herbert, some guys that have done it at a high level. He's seen a lot of different looks, and he helps with lining guys up in the huddle. He's just a true vet. He's one of the best players on our football team, so I'm trying to get him the football.

Q: You said sometimes just going out there and playing football. How have you learned that as you've gone about your NFL career to start that, even though it's the most complicated game at this level, that, 'hey, sometimes it comes down to simply playing football?'

DM: Yeah, don't lose it. I think the big thing about football is that I think football is easy and people are complicated, and people try to complicate it. I think the best thing to do at the end of the day is simplify it, and try to make it simple and be on the same page. I think we're learning that and feeling our way through that. There's probably some things that I've done in this season that is probably out of the ordinary, or maybe I'm trying to think this guy may do something that ends up being a negative play. I think down the road, it's going to end up leading to some bigger plays for us.

Q: Hunter just told us he sees a lot of similarities between you and a young Herbert. Has he ever talked with you about those days in playing with Justin?

DM: Yeah, I asked Hunter a bunch of questions. I think Hunter's a wealth of knowledge, him, Jacoby, [Austin] Hooper, David [Andrews] and guys like that, that are just on the offense, that veteran side. He always talks about Herbert. I remember his first start, I think Hunter said he was real nervous coming out there in the huddle, and maybe threw his first one in the stands, kind of like I did in my first one against the Texans. Other than that, I think just his arm talent. He's a great player in this league, but I think Hunter is just a classic example of me trying to soak up information and try to feed one of our best players the football.