PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
July 24, 2024
JM: Hey, guys. Ah, it's an exciting day, at least for me, personally. I know it's exciting for the guys in the locker room as well to get back on the field and play real football. We kind of talked about it yesterday in regards to just the timing, the time that these guys will be on the field will change every day. Throughout the season, I'll try to let you guys know how long practice will be. Today is 90 minutes. Hopefully, we get some good work in. One thing I will say is it's a little different than when I played because of the acclimation period. I do think it's good as far as player safety is concerned, not just jumping right into pads. Hopefully, here in seven days we'll be in full pads, so we're excited about that opportunity as well. Today is just another chance for these guys to display their athleticism and what they learned in the classroom, so we'll see how that goes.
Q: Did you say seven days for pads?
JM: Yeah, it'll be about seven days.
Q: Jerod, how has your love for the game grown, changed as you've transitioned from player to coach?
JM: I've always loved the game. Either you love it or you don't. To me, it's always a 10 out of 10. As a coach, you just get another opportunity to help guys develop and become the players that they want to be.
Q: Because of the acclimation period, I think a lot of coaches around the league say tackling has become more difficult. How do you get guys ready to tackle and callous their bodies for that when they can't do it as much as they used to?
JM: We'll do some live tackling once we put the pads on. In saying that, in the games, you're going to get a lot of live action. We'll be better tacklers at the end of the season than we were at the beginning.
Q: You guys have historically been a great tackling team. I think you can go back to your playing days. Do you have to change much in that department?
JM: I led the league in tackles!
Q: Is it drills? In that specific area, are you tweaking anything there as far as your preparation?
JM: Nah, not really. Once again, we've done things at a high level for a long period of time. It's not like you have to change everything. I'm a huge believer in fundamentals, and tackling goes in that bucket.
Q: Historically, you guys have also started in the red zone. Just today and tomorrow, is that where your focus will be?
JM: No, we'll start out in the field in the early downs and then we'll work our way through the red zone.
Q: We got word on [Antonio] Gibson yesterday. Any concern there long term?
JM: No concern at all. He's on the active roster still. When he's ready to go, he'll be out here.
Q: The start time of camp is a little different as we talked about. Are there any other changes we'll notice out here that you'll implement this year that have been different?
JM: I think the first thing – I know it's small – but just the music during practice. That helps the time go by as well. It gets the guys excited; it gets the guys pumped. It's all about competition, what I talked about. You'll see more competitive periods as the offseason continues to grow.
Q: Did you pick the music?
JM: I don't. That's one of those prizes you give the guys, the offseason award winners. Let those guys pick the music, and they love it. They love it.
Q: Who are the offseason award winners? Do we have those?
JM: Yeah, we do. We'll get that list to you.
Q: Jerod, what are you most excited about? What should fans be most excited about?
JM: I'm most excited just about the excitement that the players show on a day after day basis. They're coming in there with great energy. Look, as the season continues to progress, we'll get better each and every week. This is really the foundation right now for our training camp that we put together. So, we've got a lot of players, and once again, those guys are excited to come out here, work and compete. That's my message I'm going to be preaching to them.
Q: [inaudible]
JM: Those guys have been playing football since they were little kids. It's no different. Obviously, the game's a little bit faster, but at the same time, it's football. It's football. Go out there and have fun. I stressed to them last night, make sure you're talking to the veteran players. They know what to expect.
Q: Do you intend for Antonio Gibson to be back out there when the season rolls around?
JM: He'll be back out there relatively soon. It's more of a procedural thing that we had to go through, but at the same time, when he's ready to go, he'll be on the field.
Q: With [Sione] Takitaki starting on the active PUP, what player do you think could maybe bump up and see, not see more opportunity, but would fit in that bucket where he might project?
JM: Our defense is so versatile. There are times where I look at a guy like Marte [Mapu]. Is Marte a safety? Is he a linebacker? We don't know, but we'll see once we put the pads on. But that's a guy that I'm excited to see out there in pads.
Q: Jerod, do you have a structure for how you want to work Drake [Maye] into the mix pre-planned, or are you guys kind of letting it –
JM: It's pre-planned. Every rep is pre-planned until we get into the live action type of stuff where it's unscripted, but look, he'll have his opportunities. So will Joe [Milton], so will Zapp [Bailey Zappe] and obviously, Jacoby [Brissett]. He's our starter at this point. So, he'll have ample opportunity to go out there and prove himself.
Q: Is the plan for Drake today's play, day-by-day, a week's play?
JM: It's a day-by-day thing, and we meet every morning, we meet every night to kind of script that stuff out.
Q: Where will you spend most of your time, and what will your priorities individually be?
JM: Yeah, to me, look, I'm a floater, and once again, it's about fundamentals. Moving a body is moving a body, whether we're talking about an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman, same thing. Linebackers, block disruption, those things carry over. It's all about fundamentals. Look, I'm supposed to spend most of my time on the defensive side, but at the same time, I'll definitely make my way over there.
Q: When there have been penalties or turnovers in the past in the training camp, have you seen guys run laps? Has it been one of the distinctions in joint practices?
JM: We're going to keep that going. We're going to keep that going because penalties, turnovers, all those things carry. They're going to take off.
Q: What did today feel like for you, waking up? Did it feel a little different here, or what's it been like?
JM: No, it felt the same. I felt the same, but now that I'm out here on the field, I can feel the excitement kind of building up. That's why I just hit a Peloton. Hit a Peloton ride to kind of bring it back down a little bit.
Q: Who is your favorite [Peloton] instructor?
JM: Oh, that's tough. I'm going to go with Olivia. Olivia, yeah, she's great.
Q: Do you expect Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux to participate today?
JM: Yeah, I expect all these guys to participate.
Q: What is the important thing for the Patriots in this new era?
JM: The most important thing is just to compete and to go out here and have fun, and winning is fun. It's all about competition, and it's all about getting better each and every day.
Q: It seems like Tyquan Thornton is one of the top X receivers during the spring. Why did you feel he was a good fit there, and how do you feel about the competition at that spot?
JM: Tyquan is one of those guys where physically he has all the tools. Obviously, we all know that he can run. Now he just has to put it all together, and I feel very confident with our offensive coordinator and our receiver coaches to get him to the point where he can make an impact for our team.
Q: You talked yesterday about The Vineyard and just taking some time off. Obviously, that probably helps you get yourself ready for camp. Did you read anything, or is there anything that you did to maybe better yourself?
JM: Yeah, I love to read. You know what I've been doing, though? I signed up for Masterclass, and that's a pretty good platform. Then, Farnham Street. I don't know if you guys know about Farnham Street. Yeah, Shane. That website has a lot of good articles. I'm a huge believer that you can learn from people in different industries all the time. I don't always have to learn from another football coach. I don't always have to learn from the military. It can be a teacher, an elementary school teacher. There are principles that carry over to how now adulthood and professional sports.
Q: Those lessons you learn outside of football, does that factor into the way you schedule your meetings and practices?
JM: A little bit as far as scheduling, but I would also say this is a relationship business. As much as you want to think it's just about going on the field, doing what it said on the paper, it is a relationship business as well. I always talk about how you have to show the players and coaches warmth before competence, and I think that's a huge piece. So, when you talk about how do you motivate people, how do you help people become disciplined players, all those principles kind of show up in different industries.
Q: What Masterclass did you sign up for?
JM: I signed up for the whole service, so they're all available. I just got to click around. Right now, I'm on the storyteller, I think it was Michael Lewis, so he's on there now and I'm on that one.
Q: Anyone you expect to be limited today?
JM: We'll just have to wait and see. I had a meeting with the coaches this morning. It's your responsibility as a position coach to know your room better than anyone else. They have the freedom when they see a guy struggling, they'll pull him out. I think that's important.
Q: Earlier in the spring we asked you if any player was surprised you mentioned Keion White. For the spring in the rearview now, are there any other players appearing to take that second-year jump or some sort of jump this offseason?
JM: I wouldn't say any individual player yet. If you ask me this question next week, I'll let you know. It's still kind of early. Thank you.
