PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

October 14, 2024

JM: Alright, good morning. I said this last night, obviously disappointed in our performance overall. We've just got to play better. We've got to coach better. We've got to win the turnover battle. We've got to do a better job with penalties early in the game. We had a lot of penalties that just – nothing good comes from that. I would say in the second half, it kind of settled down as far as the penalties were concerned, but we just can't play in that way. Defensively, I would say just big plays. Big plays killed us. They had two runs that were over 50 yards. You take those away and it looks a lot better, but at the same time, that's what the NFL is. You've got to limit those big plays, and then offensively, we have to make big plays. I thought yesterday, overall, Drake [Maye] did a good job with his reads and getting the ball out. Was it perfect? No. Will he get better? Absolutely. But we've got to do a better job supporting a rookie quarterback. Yesterday, the run game, something that we've been good at for the majority of the year, was non-existent. We've just got to get back to the basics.

Q: Jerod, specific to Drake's performance, I'm curious to get your opinion on what you might have seen from him after a re-watch of the game, what you might not necessarily have been cognizant of or aware of in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's contest?

JM: I mean, we knew he could make plays with his legs. We knew he had a good arm and can really push the ball down the field. I would say the thing that was a pleasant surprise, he did take some shots yesterday. I think there were one or two where he got up a little bit slow, but just his overall toughness, I think, was on display yesterday.

Q: What made Ben Brown the right guy to start at center in that game yesterday, and then also how do you feel like he performed?

JM: Look, this is one of those things, I've never seen it before. A guy being able to come in here after four or five days and become the starting center. So, he did a great job. I would say he probably was our best lineman yesterday, and he did a good job for us. He did a good job all through the week during practice, and then went out there and performed pretty well.

Q: On Joe Cardona, I think he was listed with a calf injury on the injury report, but then I think that was updated to a personal reason. I just wanted to get some clarification on why Cardona missed the game.

JM: Yeah, I don't want to talk about the exact incident. He had a family matter that he needed to attend to, and we allowed that to happen.

Q: Jerod, you mentioned the two runs over 50 yards. When you went back to watch them on the tape, what did you see that contributed to allowing those runs?

JM: Poor run fits, poor tackling, and then we couldn't catch them.

Q: A game situation question that worked out for you at the end of the second quarter. On the illegal shift penalty, I think you didn't decline to make it third-and-10.

JM: No, we declined it because it was a seven yard – we thought those two yards would be beneficial if we had to kick the ball.

Q: Gotcha. I just wanted to follow up on that, and they end up missing the field goal, right?

JM: That's right.

Q: Some shuffling going on with your receiver depth chart of late. Tyquan Thornton, a healthy scratch, K.J. Osborn didn't play any snaps and obviously, Kayshon Boutte played the most snaps. I was wondering if you could sort of tell us what's going on with some of the shuffling and the changes over the first six weeks with your receiver group.

JM: You can put it – it's the same thing that we're going through with the offensive line. I think when I look at the film, it's Boutte, it's Pop [DeMario Douglas], it's [Kendrick Bourne], and we need the rest of those guys to step up and make plays.

Q: Talking to Pop Douglas in the locker room yesterday, kind of to the point about the receivers, Pop mentioned that he understands that the offense is young and that they all need to grow together, so to speak. Is that something that you, the coaching staff, are cognizant of, and what's it like to just hear from a player, taking kind of accountability, looking around the room, and taking those steps together as a group? Have you seen that before, maybe, in your career?

JM: You want to go out there and be able to play with a certain set of guys for the season. Obviously, through injuries and things like that, stuff pops up. That's why I always preach to some of the backup players to prepare as if you're the starter. But I understand whether we're talking about receivers, linebackers, whatever, you want to have that level of being comfortable with the guys out there with you. We've got to steady the ship at some point in time, whether we're talking about the offensive line or the receivers. We definitely need to settle the ship. Having Drake out there, you can throw him in the same bucket. He needs to get on the same page as the receivers, the tight ends and the backs, and that comes to just playing alongside each other.

Q: Do you have any update on the severity of Vederian Lowe's injury?

JM: He's supposed to get an MRI this morning.

Q: Obviously, Zach Thomas hasn't played a lot of tackle for you guys. I think we've seen him at guard in practice. How do you feel like he was able to go in there and perform?

JM: I would say there were some ups and some downs. Once again, just like you said, he hasn't done it a lot for us. Being ready on the sideline, and hopping in there against two good defensive ends, I think he did okay.

Q: Hi, Jerod. I wanted to ask, you were very critical of the defense last night. Now that you've had some time, what specifically was the biggest issue last night?

JM: One thing I'll say is the turnovers and the field position. They were put in some tough situations. I would say our red-area defense was poor and really just the big plays after that.

Q: They gave you the opportunity to return quite a few kicks, Jerod. I wanted to get your thoughts on what you did? I don't know if you get the chance to watch the special teams tape, but how did you feel like you guys handled that? Was that something that was a surprise?

JM: I always watch all the film, offense, defense and special teams. I would say that's Houston saying, 'We're tougher than you guys.' That's the reality of the situation. If they kick it like that, they're saying, 'You're not going to get past the 30-yard line.' We just didn't show up in that phase of the game.

Q: Hey Jerod. I'm wondering what you've seen from Ja'Lynn Polk early this season, and maybe what's contributed to some of the struggles he's had early on?

JM: I think he just needs to get over this mental hump. You've got to eliminate the dropped passes. You've got to be better at blocking, which he did a great job in college at that and at times throughout the season. He just has to continue to grow, and he has to work harder. He has to pay more attention to the details, and we fully expect him to grow into a receiver that's dependable on run and pass downs. Thanks guys.