PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
August 21, 2024
JM: Well, we're excited any chance we get to come out here on the field and compete. Today, I would say this week is a little hybrid-type of week for us as far as preparation. We're still focusing on NEP [the New England Patriots], but at the same time trying to make sure our game planning and all that process – the scouting report process – goes smoothly. So, out here today, you'll see some O [offense] vs. D [defense]. Some of that stuff is carded, right? It's carded, so it's like Washington plays offensively, defensively, and also special teams.
Q: Jerod, what does that mean from a reps and depth chart perspective?
JM: That's why I said it's a hybrid of training camp, evaluation and also getting ready for the regular season. So, everything's evaluated. Even the scout team reps are evaluated. So, we want those guys to give a good look. At the same time, we're still evaluating those guys.
Q: Is that work on Cincy [Cincinnati] as well or more so just focusing on Washington this week?
JM: There's a little work on Cincy, but as I said earlier, it's still training camp for us. It's about getting us better and us on the same page. We can't win games until we figure out what we're doing, and that's the goal.
Q: You mentioned that everyone who's healthy will play. Is there any thought process to how much time the quarterbacks will get? Will it be similar to Game 2 or a little different?
JM: It'll be a little different; I'm going to keep that close to the vest, though. But look, all the quarterbacks will play in the game.
Q: With Kendrick Bourne and [Sione] Takitaki, is this a situation where you're expecting them to start the season on the PUP list, Or do you anticipate one of those or both of those guys coming back?
JM: You know, when those guys are ready to come back, they'll be out here practicing. That's the hard part. I don't like to put time limits or deadlines on it. When they're ready to play, we get them from the weightlifting staff and also Jim Whalen and his staff, then we'll go with it.
Q: Josh Uche has kind of had a curious camp: worked off to the side, hasn't been available for some of the days. Is this something from the offseason? Is this something that happened during the spring or in the summer here?
JM: It's something that happened during the summer. I don't think it's major, but put him in the bucket of once he's ready, he'll go. He is dealing with something, though.
Q: And on the same lines with Marte Mapu. We saw him the first day, I want to say, not much since. What can you tell us, context-wise, what his situation is?
JM: Yeah, he's one of those guys, I would love to say day-to-day, but we're probably talking week-to-week. I'm sure no one has ever said that before to you guys, but week-to-week.
Q: Jerod, I've heard a few people say this summer that you don't like the term 'player's coach.' Why is that?
JM: I just think I'm going to be a great coach. Whether you want to call it – whatever you want to label it as, more power to you. It's the same thing when people say, 'Well, he's a Black coach.' No, I want to be a good coach first, that happens to be Black. That's kind of how I see it. I happened to be a player at one point in time.
Q: How do you think that manifests itself in the way you conducted training camp this summer? I mean, as far as – this wasn't a team that gave a lot of veteran days off and things like that.
JM: Yeah, because we just have to get better. Coming off of last year, we had a bad taste in our mouths. We still have a lot of players that returned from then. I would say they want to work, and that's the most exciting thing for me. They want to be out here in pads. They want to do live drills and things like that. So, that's our goal, is to be a better team this year.
Q: Jerod, is the plan with Drake [Maye] this week to have him run off some of the cards like you're talking about, doing scout team stuff, or is he going to be focused more on Patriots stuff?
JM: No, he'll be focused more on Patriots stuff, and he'll be focused more on Washington stuff, quite frankly.
Q: What do you want to see from the quarterbacks, Drake and Jacoby [Brissett] in particular, this week?
JM: Yeah, I think it starts with the operation. I always say, 'Good huddle, good break, good play.' So, it starts in the huddle, then getting guys lined up, going out there, executing the play, making the right reads and moving the offense down the field.
Q: When it comes to that pre-snap operation for Drake Maye, is he in a place where if he had to start, you feel like he's ready, or do you feel like he's still kind of coming along?
JM: 100%. I think he's ready to run a huddle.
Q: You were very blunt in your assessment of the offensive line in the wake of the Philadelphia preseason game. How do you feel they've responded in the last couple days?
JM: Yeah, they've responded well. I will say, going back and looking at the film, the practice, I got that. But if you were to look at the whole body of work with our offensive line, they've done a good job, and they're getting better going forward.
Q: Between joint practices, preseason games, how many snaps do you need to see from a guy to say, 'I want him on my team?' Is there a set number in your mind?
JM: No, not really, in my mind. I think you just want people that love football and that will do everything as far as preparation in the weight room, in the classroom, to get on the field. Those are the guys that I really want. I'll take a less talented guy that just loves the game of football and you know he's going to get better with a high ceiling than a player who's just blessed with a lot of athleticism, but is lazy. So, that's kind of how I look at it.
Q: We've talked about the offensive line. You just mentioned Layden Robinson. We've seen him work in a little bit more with, I guess, 'the ones' in theory. Is that because of just how he's playing, or is it something that you're seeing from Sidy [Sow]? It seems that's sort of a competition there.
JM: It is a competition, I would say. He's strung a few weeks together here, and that's the thing. I told these guys at the beginning of camp: there are more people in this room than there are jobs, and so either you're going to hold on to your job, or someone's going to take your job. I would say all those guys have been battling. So, it's going to be a tough decision.
Q: I asked Mike Onwenu right after that second game if there was any plan to move him to tackle, and he said he's just been told he's at guard for right now. But we just saw him work at some tackle this week. What's kind of the plan there?
JM: I would say, look, we always, as coaches, reserve the right to change our mind. I don't want that to get misconstrued in any type of way. But that was the plan initially. Then, as we continue to build depth amongst the offensive line, we had to move those guys around
Q: Does that have anything to do with Layden Robinson, as you said, 'stringing some weeks together?'
JM: No, it has everything to do with us just trying to find the right combination.
Q: You brought in several players yesterday: a couple linebackers, a wide receiver. What's the thought process behind that at this stage of camp?
JM: There's no better evaluation tool than getting guys out here 11 vs. 11 and seeing what they can do. We're kind of limited during the season to have guys out there because it's just a workout in the bubble. The thought process was, look, bringing in some players that we've identified as being potential candidates to be on our team, and see what they have.
Q: I know it's different for different guys and time of year figures into it as well, but do you anticipate making the bulk of your cuts on Tuesday, a little bit before, what's the time frame?
JM: That's a conversation that Eliot [Wolf] and I have had. We've gone back and forth on how to really do that. What I will say is, when you play a Sunday night game compared to a Thursday night game, you kind of get tight on time. So, we'll have those discussions here and also on the road before the game.
Q: Jerod, with those cuts looming, who has the final say to make those cuts, between you and Eliot?
JM: Yeah, I thought I was pretty clear about this. You know, for me, Eliot and I are on the same page. I hope it's always that way. You've heard the horror stories around the league as far as coach and GM [general manager] relationships are concerned. The final say-so is Eliot. We collaborate on everything. He collaborates on a little bit of scheme things. I collaborate with him as far as evaluation. But I lean on the experts in that world, and Eliot is that guy.
Q: Do you need to come out of Sunday night with a starting quarterback in your mind? And do you need to tell them that early? Or, what is your plan for that?
JM: I would say by Monday night, we should know who the quarterback is. A Sunday night game, it's always hard to really crank through the film. Especially on the road. But I think Monday, Tuesday, you probably need to know who it is. Now, that doesn't mean I'll tell you on Monday or Tuesday.
Q: At that defensive tackle spot, where you had Christian Barmore, we talked about [Jeremiah] Pharms in the preseason opener, he seemed pretty active, [Davon] Godchaux as well. Who else is in there that's catching your eye at that defensive tackle spot inside?
JM: You can throw Dan [Ekuale] in there as well. He's one of these guys who's a penetrator. We know exactly what he is, and he's a good player for us. We also have guys on the perimeter, on the outside, that can slide inside on third down. Those are all things that we've thought through.
Q: In terms of the starting quarterback decision, would you say that you have final say with that? Or is that another thing where Eliot [has final say]?
JM: The players that go on the field, I would think I will have final say. Once again, I know I've used this word a lot. We will collaborate on that.
Q: I want to ask you about the starting quarterback a little bit more. One thing that I want to bring up is that in the beginning of the spring, you were very forward about that Jacoby's your starter. There's been a shift after this last game where it's up in the air. It's a big competition. Has that taken you by surprise a little bit with how things have gone? What has led to that?
JM: I would say, you come into camp, and you want to have an idea of how it's going. It's still a competition, and Jacoby is still QB1. It's a competition amongst all the guys on the field, including the quarterback spot. So, hopefully that makes sense to you guys. But he's still QB1.
Q: We're going to talk to AVP [Alex Van Pelt] tomorrow. Maybe a good time to check in with you on how that dynamic with you and AVP is going. How would you describe that?
JM: It's going well. We're on the same page. We meet multiple times a day. I have nothing but complete faith in AVP and the rest of the staff.
Q: What have you learned about him just from being around him every day in terms of what type of coach he is?
JM: He's just one of those steady guys. A big play, he doesn't get too high. A bad play, he doesn't get too low. I think you need that in your coordinators. Now, you also need coaches that can really turn up and get on the players. But at the same time, the consistency in his attitude, I think, has definitely rubbed off on the guys.
Q: Coach, just kind of curious about the run game and the big picture. As you switch to this AVP run game, how do you feel about where it's at right now?
JM: I think the run game is going well. We have a great group of backs. They may not get the publicity, but between Gibby [Antonio Gibson] and Rhamondre [Stevenson] and the rest of that group, I feel confident about the room.
Q: How do you feel about Dell Pettus so far and his fit in the safety room?
JM: He's definitely making a case for himself, not only defensively, but also on special teams. That's going to be a hard decision there, but he's doing a good job for us.
Q: When it comes to the quarterback, is it Alex's decision who the starting quarterback is?
JM: It's between Alex, myself, Eliot, and the rest of the offensive staff. I think our goal is to put the best team that we can put out there.
Q: Have you guys seen it all the same way, do you think, to this point in the summer?
JM: I think so. I think anyone can see the confidence growing in Drake. Anyone can see Jacoby go out here and, as a total body of work, do a good job. So, we'll see how it goes.
