PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
September 6, 2024
JM: Look, I thought the guys were definitely focused this week, had a good week of practice. Everyone that's on the roster, the active guys, everyone has to be ready to play. I would say watching the game last night, conditioning is definitely one of those huge indicators, or however you want to look at it, of how the game is going to turn out. So, in saying that, everyone has to be ready to go. I feel good about the practice reps and how we split those up amongst the group. Our expectation for the game is to go out there, play good football, play with good fundamentals and win.
Q: We saw [Antonio] Gibson pop up on the injury report yesterday as limited with his hip. Is there a concern of him not being available?
JM: Yeah, it's always a concern when we put people on the injury report. We'll see how it goes today. I will know more after practice today, but hopefully he's good.
Q: With that opening statement, it sounds like rotations might be played in certain positions. If so, is that set by drive, quarter? How much of that is pre-planned?
JM: Some of it's pre-planned, but we always have to be ready to adjust during the game. I always tell the coaches, you should know your position group better than anyone else. Then comes the eye test; you can look out there, sometimes they tap their helmets, sometimes they don't. But it's up to the position coaches, as well as myself, to really see, 'This guy's tired,' or 'He needs a break,' and to roll. That's how it's going to be here for the next few weeks, honestly.
Q: Should we anticipate, on the offensive line, whoever the starting five is, not necessarily playing every snap this first game here?
JM: I mean, that's under consideration. I think you have to – once again, everyone has their own level of conditioning. So, if someone's tired, then we'll get them out.
Q: I'm going to ask about Sidy [Sow]. We haven't seen him out there for the past two days. Is there any update on him, and what are you expecting this weekend and going forward?
JM: Yeah, no update right now. We'll see what today brings.
Q: What does Sunday mean to you personally?
JM: Sunday for me – I go to church on Sundays, but can't during the season. But Sundays for me are just one of those times where you have a three-hour block of just, it's all about football, and everything else really doesn't matter. Oftentimes we look at these guys as just football players, but they're men, they're fathers, they're husbands and all those things. To me, it's just one of those opportunities where nothing else matters. It's a very special feeling. That's one of the things when guys retire, they miss that. They miss that stuff. So, it's a special day.
Q: What will you do before Sunday, maybe right before, just to make sure you're in the mind frame that you want to be?
JM: Yeah, for me, I'll meet with the coordinators one last time right before the game, just to make sure we're all on the same page, and get the guys ready to go. I'm not a big, super rah-rah type of guy. I think you've got to go out there and execute. You see these players sometimes, they're so hype. Then, all of a sudden, you're in play 10, and they're breathing hard. Now, what do you do? That's the adversity that we've tried to simulate and practice. But when you get to the game, it's always going to be a little bit different.
Q: DeMarcus [Covington] was in here yesterday saying that, 'I'm ready for this. I've built to this moment my entire life.' What does Sunday, in that moment, mean for you, your first game as a head coach?
JM: Yeah, I feel like I'm built for this as well. I feel like I'm walking in my calling. This is what I've told you guys since my presser: it's about developing people. What I will say is, look, I want those guys to go out there, play well each and every snap and win a bunch of games. But I also want those guys to really be resilient when times are tough. That leads to the post-football career. If they're able to deal with adversity and things like that when they're done playing, those skills transfer. That's kind of how I think about it.
Q: Coach, you mentioned the importance of fundamentals. So, when it comes to things like discipline, avoiding penalties and things like that, can you get a vibe for when the team's locked in before the week, or is that something that you really can only see on game day?
JM: I would say most of the time, there's nothing more important, first of all, [than] wins and losses, but the week of practice, the week of preparation is always important. As a player, there were times where I didn't really feel too good about whether it was the game plan, or 'I really don't feel good about playing next to this guy.' But those are considerations every week as a player, as a coach, and I see it the same way now.
Q: With the four waiver-claim guys, would it be too early to expect them to play Week 1, or is that a possibility?
JM: It's a possibility. It's a possibility. We'll see how it goes today.
Q: When you were a player, did you have any specific rituals you did, and do any of those carry over as a coach?
JM: So as a player, I just made sure I used the bathroom. I wanted to be as light as possible. I said my prayer and kind of went out there and played. But, once again, going back to the question earlier – not to skip over that one, Karen – but going back to the question earlier about motivation, being motivated and rah-rah, it comes down to discipline. It always comes back to discipline. Are you a disciplined football team? The difference for me is discipline. It doesn't matter what's going on around you. It really doesn't. You're going to do what you have trained yourself to do or have been trained to do. Sometimes when you're motivated – look, everyone's motivated on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. 'Oh, I'm going on this diet.' Then all of a sudden, two weeks later, you're done with it. But if you're a disciplined individual, which I try to preach to the guys now, you'll continue to go in the right direction.
Q: Jerod, I remember you earlier back in February or March on the radio talking about how this job, so far, wasn't as much X's and O's as you had expected back then. Now that you're actually preparing for your first game as a head coach, do you feel more confident or more comfortable in the role, actually being in the X's and O's and overseeing the football aspects?
JM: Yeah. So, during that time, it was really the first two weeks. After the first two weeks, it was all about football. It was all about X's and O's. It was all about scouting players, the draft process, the free agency process. So, after the first couple of weeks, it was all ball for me. I feel comfortable with the X's and O's all the time, and I enjoy it; I do. I also enjoy, like I said earlier, developing people and developing teams. So, we'll see how it goes.
Q: Jerod, you mentioned nothing's more important than wins and losses. What would constitute a successful season to you? Do you have other measuring sticks in place?
JM: I really don't want to focus too far down the line. What I will say is the team that you see this week, you want to see the team get better each and every week and playing our best football in December.
Q: Coach, when you were on with Davon Godchaux this week, he said guys would run through a wall for you. Not even having a game yet, hearing that, what does that mean to you?
JM: It means a lot. It means a lot. I always talk about the story of when I became a captain in my second year in the league. My first year as a rookie, at times – this is when we had two-a-days and all of that stuff too – the guys would send me in the coach's office, and people were kind of, not scared to go in there, but said, 'Let's send Mayo in there.' I would go in there, and I would say 'Coach, the guys are tired. They can't be in pads today.' A lot of times, he would send me out, and be like, 'Whatever. We're going to do X, Y, and Z.' But there were the few times where he was like, 'You know what? You're right.' I would go back in the locker room, and I think the guys recognized that I cared more about them than my feelings. I would say it's the same thing here coaching. I care more about their growth and their development more than anything. I say players win games and coaches lose games. I'm going to do my best not to lose those games and put those guys in the best position to be successful.
Q: Jerod, I know this was months ago, but you got to interview Dan Pitcher. Before he opted to stay in Cincinnati, what did you learn about him at that time? Is there anything useful [to use] for Sunday when you face them [Cincinnati]?
JM: I've had a couple of interactions with Dan Pitcher. I think he's a fantastic coach. Will that help us on Sunday? Probably not.
Q: What'd you learn that was new about him [Dan Pitcher] during that interview process?
JM: I had a prior relationship with him before the interview process. But he's very good at the X's and O's. I would say he's also one of those guys that the players love. He's very easy to talk to, and he's a good coach.
Q: We saw a lot of illegal formation calls last night and going back to the preseason finale with you guys having a couple as well. I imagine it's going to continue to be a point of emphasis, but what does that look like for you guys? Is it a matter of sitting in the meeting room? Is it Coach [Scott] Peters? How does that come about?
JM: We talked about it in practice. I had two guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage making sure those guys were lined up correctly. Once again, we always talk about we'll do business as business is being done. So, we'll see what this crew has for us this week.
Q: When you were playing, were you the type that would get nervous before games? Do you expect to be nervous Sunday?
JM: There's a very thin line between anxiety and excitement, and I choose to go on the excitement side. I would say through the week of preparation, you gain that confidence and lose that anxiety or nervousness. As a player, you're nervous a little bit, but once you hit someone, it's go time. It's go time.
Q: You did say earlier this week that you're going to try to be as forthcoming as you can with us on the injury front. With Vederian Lowe, how has he looked in practice? What are you expecting from him this weekend?
JM: I think for us, we'll see how today goes, and I hate to be on repeat with that, but we'll see how today goes. It's encouraging, so we'll see what happens. I got to be up front with you guys, but at the same time not show all my cards.
Q: Do you have family coming up for the game? Is your Mom coming?
JM: They'll be at the home opener. It's just me. Unless they're going to surprise me, so that may be cool. It would be cool to see my mom. Maybe she'll surprise me. Right now, I don't think anyone will be here.
Q: What did you think of Bill [Belichick] joining, as he called it, [Instaface]?
JM: I heard about it. Some of the guys were talking about it, but I'm not going to talk about it.
