PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
August 9, 2024
Q: Good morning, Jerod. I hope you got a little sleep last night.
JM: Good morning, Ben. A little bit, a little bit of sleep, but it's all good.
Q: You talked about it a little bit after the game last night, but could you go a little further into why you felt it was important for a veteran like Bailey Zappe to get so many reps last night, and for a youngster like Drake [Maye] to only get six snaps? Talked about it a little bit after the game.
JM: Yeah, going into the game, I talked to AVP [Alex Van Pelt], [Ben] McAdoo, and the entire offensive staff about what's the plan for the quarterback. This conversation has been ongoing, and so this has always been the plan to develop these guys this way. We'll see how it looks going forward. It won't always be the same because we're still evaluating everyone on the roster, but especially the quarterbacks.
Q: So with Drake, I mean, Jacoby's [Brissett] the starter, so Drake only gets a few of these games. You didn't feel it was important for him to learn, to work on the operation in the huddle and some of the game management stuff?
JM: Yeah, I mean, those things are always under consideration. I would also say during practice, he gets a lot of reps. Then going into the Eagles week, this honestly is a huge week for everyone to practice against the Eagles, and then really we'll see how the reps kind of break down in the game. But I expect Drake to get more reps than he did in the first game against the Eagles.
Q: Morning, Jerod. Just catching up on a couple housekeeping things. You guys put Jake Andrews on IR [injured reserve]. Any insight you can tell us on what happened there, just knowing that offensive line depth is something that looks like it's stressing you guys a little bit as a team?
JM: Yeah, I'm not going to get too far into injuries, when he got hurt and all those things. But after consulting with the medical staff, both internally and Jake going to get a second opinion, it was just the right thing for him to do: to get surgery, and we had to place him on IR there. So, hopefully that answers your question, Mike.
Q: Yeah, and it sort of ties to a follow-up. How do you view the offensive line right now in terms of your numbers and what you're seeing production-wise in practice and games?
JM: Yeah, I mean, they're still under construction, the offensive line, and I've said it since day one, we're going to play the best five, whatever that combination looks like. We're always trying to get better. We're bringing in some linemen today for a workout, so we're always trying to get better and improve the front. It all starts there with the offensive line and defensive line when it comes to winning football games, so definitely an important part.
Q: I had a question about – I guess it would fall under sort of game-day operation, about pregame intros and stuff. I noticed you guys sort of changed up the music as you guys took the field. It looked like you went from the classic "Crazy Train" to I think it's "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy. Is that something where the coaches have the say? Who makes those calls?
JM: That's above my pay grade as far as the music is concerned. But look, that's very small as far as what we're trying to build here as a team and trying to change the culture into going out there and winning football games. So, I really didn't have much to do with the music selection.
Q: Hey, Jerod, hope all is well. Just on that cultural identity, how would you define what you want opponents to think about this Patriots team and how you want to present in making changes to that cultural identity?
JM: On the field, I would say just that we're a physical team, and I think we showed that last night, at least, that we're trying to be a physical team. I think guys were hustling, running to the ball and just out there playing with just real joy and excitement for the opportunity. Those guys were excited for their teammates, and I think what I hope the other team sees is just the passion, just the love of the game, guys going out there flying around and executing good football.
Q: Ja'Lynn Polk got a significant amount of reps last night. What did you see from him, how has he kind of evolved through training camp, and how do you project with him?
JM: Yeah, so I've always been a huge fan of Polk, even in college because first of all, he's able to do the dirty work as a receiver, and those guys are hard to find. But he's one of those guys that I'm just excited to see his development and growth. Obviously, he can run great routes. He blocks. He can catch the ball, and then he'll run after the catch. So, I think it's important for him and also [Javon] Baker to go out there and get a good amount of reps because we're going to depend on those guys going forward.
Q: Hi, good morning, Jerod. Was it the plan going into last night to bring in offensive linemen for workouts, or was that based on anything that happened last night?
JM: No, it has nothing to do with what happened last night. We're always bringing people in, and Eliot [Wolf] and his staff are always trying to make the team better. It was always the plan.
Q: One other one real quick. Is there one position on this team that you feel most comfortable depth-wise, that you feel like is the deepest position on the roster?
JM: I mean, that's a tough question. I would say the safety position is always – I feel like we have good depth there, especially when we get a guy like Marte [Mapu] back in the picture. I like that room.
Q: Hey, Jerod. What did you guys like from David Wallis last night?
JM: He did a great job. He's back there catching punts and things like that. He's an explosive player. Honestly, he's had a pretty good camp. He's a hard guy to cover, and I'm glad he showed up last night in the special teams room. He's a hard worker, and that's all you can ask for.
Q: Hey, Jerod. We've already seen a lot of fights around the NFL in these joint practices, with a couple teams even getting fined. Does that, for you, validate your decision to limit it to just one practice, and what can you, as a coach, if anything, do to prevent it from happening in the one practice you do have?
JM: To me, it does, just having that one practice because honestly, when the fights start to happen, they see stuff on film that they may not have seen live. That was definitely the thought process. Once again, this is an emotional game. Things happen, but you just never want to see a physical fight on the football field. Hopefully, when the Eagles come in here, I'm going to stress to our guys that's not what we're about. We're about being tough in between the whistles. It's not about being tough outside when the whistle is already blown. I will say this, some of those fights, you're going to break your hand. People are throwing these punches, hitting helmets and shoulder pads. I've always thought that these football fights were pretty silly because you can hurt yourself.
Q: One more. It seems like Oshane [Ximines] has had a good camp and carried it into last night. What have you seen from him this summer, and has he maybe given you a little bit more than you expected?
JM: Yeah, Ox [Oshane Ximines] has done a great job, both in the run game and the pass game. He played a lot of snaps last night, so that was good to see. So, when you talk about stringing plays together, he did a good job. We'll see what it looks like going forward, but it's a good start.
Q: Good morning, Jerod. Thanks for doing this this morning. A question kind of about logistics. I know earlier in the week you said that you guys had kind of a dry run in the stadium as a coaching staff on Wednesday. How did that go, and maybe what did you learn from that experience that you kind of put into play last night?
JM: Yeah, the mock game or the dry run, it went well. Now in saying that, there were things that came up last night that we need to iron out, and that's the purpose of the preseason. As a first-year head coach, there are things that happen that I just need clarification on, and I'll work with the coaching staff. But overall, I would say the communication and the execution from the coaching staff down to the field – the guys in the box down to the field – was pretty good.
Q: Hey, Jerod, I wanted to ask you about that first group of offensive linemen. It looks like just being out at practices, like Chuks [Chukwuma Okorafor] didn't really practice the three practices leading up to the game. It looked like maybe Sidy [Sow] was dealing with something earlier this week. Did maybe anything those guys were dealing with physically lead to that first offensive line unit only playing two series last night?
JM: Yeah, a lot of these guys, some of them had nicks and things like that. In saying that, once again, we're trying to find the best five offensive linemen to go out there and produce for us. Hopefully, after we get out of this Eagles week, we have a better idea of what that five looks like. But during training camp, there's always things that pop up, and you want to kind of manage those guys in the games.
Q: Obviously, it looks like you guys are taking a patient approach with Drake. Why is it important to take a patient approach with him, in your opinion?
JM: Yeah, each one of these quarterbacks has an individual development plan that I've gone over with AVP and the rest of his staff, and we're sticking to that plan until it's time to change.
Q: Jerod, this is a two-parter on the kicking game. What are you seeing in the competition between [Joey] Slye and [Chad] Ryland, knowing that Joey got the one field goal attempt last night and the first kickoff, and what did you learn about the new kickoff rule based on the reps last night?
JM: Yeah, Slye and Chad, those guys are competing. Once again, the game is a small part, and there's nothing more important than practice. So, we try to put a lot of stress on those kickers. It's still a wide-open competition, and I look forward to seeing who wins that competition. Now, on the kickoff rule, it was interesting. It was interesting, but I thought those guys went down there, they tried to be physical. We actually were physical in all three phases, but special teams for sure. We're going to continue to study the film. Once again, it's the preseason, so you don't really get a chance to see some of the scheme things that we'll probably see during the regular season. But overall, I thought they played really well.
