PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

October 30, 2024

JM: Good morning. Just like every Wednesday, I always tell the players that's when it's an opportunity for us to change the page, which we have done. We wrapped up all the Jets stuff, went through the corrections, and now it's all about the Titans, which I think is important. When I look at that team, it's a team that's really in a similar situation as us. They have good players. They have a good scheme. They just haven't been able to put it together as far as a record is concerned. Now, in saying that, they have talent all across the board. You look at their defense, it just starts with the front. They have a lot of good players up front, and it starts with [Jeffrey] Simmons. He's one of those guys that's a huge disruptor. You go to the second and third level, you see a lot of guys with speed and flying around. I would also say they're a little bit unpredictable as far as the play calling on the defensive side of the ball, which is a huge challenge for us. As I always say, we have to be able to see the same picture through the same set of goggles. Moving on to the offense, again, a little bit of uncertainty at the quarterback spot, which is always difficult to prepare for teams that have that uncertainty at the quarterback spot. They have two different skill sets. In saying that, they've both won games in this league. When you look at their running backs, to me, it's a fantastic one-two punch. Expect to see both of those guys, and they can hurt you in the run game. They can also hurt you in the pass game. They also have some big bodies up front. There's no question, as you go through the film, #0, [Calvin] Ridley, there's no question why he was one of the top free agents, and everyone wanted an opportunity to have him on their roster. This is a guy who is heavily targeted. At the same time, he's open a lot on film, sometimes doesn't get the ball, but he is open a lot on film, and that's going to be a challenge. We talk about marrying up the rush and the coverage, and that's what we're going to continue to preach. For N.E.P. [New England Patriots], I think it's pretty clear how we have to win games, and I think it starts with the turnover battle, first of all. We had some opportunities last week, not to harp on those, but we have to take advantage if we want to get out of Tennessee with a win defensively. Offensively, we have to continue to protect the ball. Even though we are one of the top teams in the league as far as protecting the ball, we've had the football on the ground way too many times. Even though we recovered those fumbles, it's just been way too many times. Those are things that we have to clean up. I'm sure there will be a lot of questions about Drake [Maye]. Drake is in the protocol. He's in the protocol, and he will be a limited participant today in practice. In saying that, yeah, he will throw the ball at times in practice today, but he will be limited. There are people a lot smarter than me as far as clearing people with concussions, and we'll lean on our medical professionals, and also the NFL league policy, as far as getting him ready to play. I do have confidence that, if the league says he's ready to play, that he will be able to go out there and operate. In saying that, I feel very comfortable putting Jacoby [Brissett] in there, as he is a professional and always stays ready, as you could see from the last game. However that plays out, we'll see. Excited for another opportunity to go out there and continue to get better. I said as we continue to progress, as the season goes on, we want to be better as the season goes on, and be one of those teams that no one wants to play at the end of the year. That's our goal.

Q: I know you said he wants to be cleared, but you said at halftime you saw Drake and said he wanted to play. Have you seen him, and what's his spirits like, and how does he look to you?

JM: Yeah, his spirits are good. His spirits are good. They were good after the game. He actually threw a couple of dimes even after the hit. He was upbeat.

Q: Logistically, what are some of the challenges with having this type of situation going into the week and searching for a quarterback?

JM: I mean, we treat it as any other injury. I would say having a veteran quarterback like Jacoby kind of puts us at ease.

Q: Can you clarify who flagged the hit for Drake to be checked?

JM: It was from up top. The spotter.

Q: The spotter?

JM: Yeah, it was the spotter.

Q: You said Drake at halftime was like, 'put me back in.' So he was feeling okay for the most part?

JM: That's from my understanding. When I spoke to him, he seemed like he was okay. But again, I'm not an expert in evaluating head injuries. The spotter identified it. We just, at that point, lean on the League and their policy.

Q: You said that he'll be able to be at practice. Do you know what step he's in in the protocol?

JM: I'm not sure exactly what step he's in. I know he will be at practice today.

Q: If he gets cleared prior to this weekend, do you anticipate him being the starter?

JM: Yeah, I don't want to get into if he gets cleared. I mean, as you guys all know, that stuff can change in a single minute, so it's difficult to get into that if he gets cleared.

Q: Do you have practice players of the week? Or are we going to hold off on those for another day?

JM: We do have practice players of the week. Yeah, I'll give them to you on Thursday.

Q: Where do things stand with the wide receiver group, especially after last Sunday? What's the confidence level in that room right now?

JM: Again, every week is its own week. We had a great meeting this morning, a great team meeting this morning. Pretty much, you have to clean those things up if you want to be a good football team. They understand that. I would also say that those guys have caught thousands or tens of thousands of balls over their career, and I'm not talking about the NFL. I'm saying even from being a little kid. To me, it's just about continuing to push forward. Look, if you don't have the confidence in your hands, what can you do? You've got to ask yourself the question, what can I do to help our team win? Whether it's blocking or whatever. They come in bunches. So I think those guys will be OK.

Q: What kind of challenges are there for Alex Van Pelt and you in terms of having uncertainty around the quarterbacks, and the game planning that you do with the different skill sets?

JM: Yeah. I would say there are core concepts in general that all of the quarterbacks have to know, especially on early downs. Even though Drake will be a limited participant today, hopefully as we continue to go forward, the plays, we have to see how the process goes. Hopefully we get to a point in the week where we can just iron out the details on who's the quarterback.

Q: I understand this may be more of an Eliot [Wolf] question, but I was hoping to get your take on the trade of Josh [Uche] and what he meant to you guys this year, and how you see the pass rush moving forward without him?

JM: Yeah, look, Josh is one of the first guys that I spent a lot of time watching a lot of film when he was in college. We still have a great relationship. I think it's better for both of us. Look, I wish him nothing but the best, but I think it's best for both teams.

Q: Jerod, related to that, do you feel compelled in any way ahead of the trade deadline to have individual conversations with players, or address it in a larger team meeting?

JM: To me, the guys in there understand professional football and they understand this time of the year. I would say from our perspective as an organization, we're always trying to get better, whether that's to bring players in, or addition through subtraction. We have to both look in the short term and also in the long term.

Q: Given where you guys are in terms of your organizational trajectory, your rebuilding, would you be reluctant to deal away guys who might have value to other teams but are, for lack of a better term, program guys, like good influences, in your opinion, in the locker room?

JM: Yeah, look, to us, we're in the business of bringing in good players and keeping our good players. I think you bring up an interesting point as far as, like, the culture guys. I do think that's important. I also would say I think it's important with the coaches as well, to bring in guys that really believe in the culture and where we're trying to go. Definitely, we take those things into consideration.

Q: Do you anticipate there being more moves or players traded off this roster by next week?

JM: I mean, there will always be moves throughout the league. Again, I'm not sure how active or inactive we'll be.

Q: Back to the quarterback. If Drake can't go and you do start Jacoby, is there any consideration bringing in another quarterback, or do you expect Joe Milton III to be the backup?

JM: Yeah, I expect Joe Milton [III] to be the backup if Drake can't play.

Q: Jerod, do you anticipate Caedan Wallace returning to practice this week?

JM: Caedan Wallace will not be at practice this week.

Q: Just a thought of Marcus Jones and what he's meant to the special teams and defense, but how big of a weapon can he be, especially against a team like this?

JM: Yeah, Marcus, even though he's a defensive player, he's one of the most explosive players in the League when he has the ball in his hands. I would say, even if you go back throughout the course of the season, there were times where he was very close to popping one. In saying that, it's not all about Marcus. I would say those guys that block for him have also done a good job, even on that big return, [JaMychal] Hasty threw a block that really took out three people, and allowed them to really turn the corner. Looking forward to keeping that going.

Q: Just to go back to the trade deadline, this is the first one for you and Eliot in the chairs that you guys are in now. It's new for you, it's new for us covering it. How often are you having conversations with him about guys who might be dealt, calls that the front office has fielded, those types of things?

JM: Yeah, we speak every day. We speak every day. I try to give him part of our game plan on the football side, and we talk about the roster every single day.

Q: Was it like the draft in that you guys were pretty open? Eliot's got final say when it came to who was being picked? Is it the same case now with the trade deadline?

JM: Yeah, look, we look at the players, his staff looks at the players, the coaches look at their individual position, and we make a decision that's best for the organization.

Q: What have you learned about Christian Gonzalez through 8 games that maybe you didn't know going into the season?

JM: For me, what Gonzo's doing is what we fully expected him to do. Funny thing, look, he's a quiet guy, but he's a competitor. You listen to the mic'd up? That's the most you're going to get from that guy. He's a guy that goes out there and plays hard every day, and he's a great competitor.

Q: When you say the most that you get from him, what do you mean by that?

JM: Yeah, he's not a very talkative guy, but he is a very good player, and I would say I've been around corners like that before that aren't that talkative. [Stephon] Gilmore being one of those guys, [Darrelle] Revis being another one of those guys. They don't talk a lot, but they go out there and get the job done.

Q: You were talking about the offensive line becoming a strength on Monday. Do you expect this to be the group moving forward, and what do you think has led that group to settle the way that it has?

JM: I mean, look, at some point in time, you always hope to have a group that's the same as the prior week. We'll see what happens. We're looking for some continuity there.

Q: Jerod, is there a limit on how long Drake can practice today in terms of just minutes?

JM: Yeah, that's part of the protocol. It's from the NFL.

Q: Will he practice longer than 30 minutes today?

JM: No.