TRANSCRIPT: Jerod Mayo Press Conference 5/29
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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024.
Opening Statement:
“Doing well. Excited to be back out here. Look, great weather. Guys are going to come out here and compete, so it’s going to be a fun day.”
On what they’re working on:
“Everything. We’re kind of getting into real football now, so first, second, and third down. We’ll continue to just move that way. Next week, we’ll get into some other things. But first, second, and third down, now you got to put the sticks into it, and building that awareness on both sides of the ball is important.”
On the progress he’s seen from Drake Maye:
“Look, he’s taking advantage of the opportunities that he gets. And look, we’re all being evaluated. I’m being evaluated, the players are being evaluated, and hopefully, everyone’s open to feedback. Stacey [James] just told me some things I did wrong the last time I was up here. So it’s all good.”
On if there’s any concern Maye’s not getting enough reps due to the fact they have four quarterbacks:
“No, not right now. And my message is, it’s not how many opportunities, it’s what you do with the opportunities that you get. And look, going back to the competition part of it, the better you do on a day after day basis, not only on the field, but also in the classroom, the more reps you’ll get going forward.”
On the ‘Patriot Way’ and Bill Belichick’s way of doing things, and what he’s doing to establish his own culture:
“Honestly, in my opinion, let me say in my opinion, I couldn’t articulate what the Patriot way is. I just know that hard work works. And that’s how I looked at the Patriot way, is that we just worked harder than everyone else. And I believe in that philosophy as well. So we’ll be out here working hard. And look, you try to put the guys in difficult situations to see how they respond. You put them in the weight room, heavy weight on their backs, see how they respond, and try to build a tough, dependable football team.”
On the process of marrying the old system with the new system with his new coaching staff:
“Honestly, it’s been great. I feel like we have a good combination of old, young, player, non-player. But at the end of the day, they all love football, and they know how to articulate complex ideas and kind of simplify it for the players. So you hit it on the head. There’s a good mix of guys, even that were here and that weren’t here. We brought in 17 new coaches, and I think those guys are doing a good job gelling with the rest of the staff, and it’s a work in progress.”
On Brian Belichick and what’s it been like just having him stick around:
“He’s been fantastic. He’s been fantastic. And there are other guys in the organization that it’s been a little awkward for him, and those guys have handled it the right way. Look, Brian loves football, and he loves New England. I think I talked about this a little bit earlier. A guy, new baby, loves it up here and wants to stay, and we’re happy that he’s here.”
On how he stays authentically to himself after being promoted:
“Honestly, this is me. If you talk to guys that have known me over the years, look, I do change. I’m still evolving. I’m evolving as a head coach. This isn’t the final form of Jerod Mayo, the head coach. I’ve only been doing this now for a couple of months, so we’ll see how it is going forward.”
“But at the core, I’m a father, I’m a husband, I’m a Christian. That’s my core. And so those things won’t change. Some of the philosophy things, though, and it’s not a dumb question, it actually is a good question. But some of the philosophy things, I’m still getting those in order. And I think it’s important that you talk to other coaches around the league. And you guys know Tony Dungy was here. It was great having him here and just having those discussions outside of this silo. And it’s been good.”
On if he’s been pleasantly surprised by anything or anyone at this point:
“I mean, that’s hard to say. I think the guys, no matter what group we’re talking about, and right now, I know you heard this before, but there are no starters. Just being able to mix and match different groups, that’s a hard one. Keion [White]. Look, Keion is doing a good job for us, and I would say also Keion is taking that step forward as far as being a leader. Not as much vocally, but you see him actually leading the groups and working well. If you need a name, that’s a good one.”
On Evan Rothstein and his new role:
“I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing, but Evan Rothstein has worked with a lot of first-year head coaches, so he has the knowledge. He understands situational football, the rules of the game very well, and also just football as a whole, not only on the offensive side of the ball, but you know, when he first got here, he worked on the defensive side of the ball as well. So he has that research, analytics, hybrid coaching model. He’s been a great resource, a great sounding board for me.”
On how Bailey Zappe is handling the fact the club drafted two quarterbacks, and if there’s space for him on the team:
“I would put him in the same category that we talked about Brian, how it’s awkward for Brian, and he’s handled it well. The same thing with Zappe. I think he’s handled it fantastically. And look, he’s getting reps out here. You got to see him out here, and I would say he’s getting better.”
On the fact he had Tony Dungy in here and what he can learn from him:
“Look, I’ve always been a fan of Tony Dungy, even though the Patriots and Colts have a little history. But from afar, just a guy who has won games, like big games, a championship level coach, and he does it the right way. It’s not through cussing people out or anything like that, which that works, I guess, with some teams as well, but it’s through developing men and women, and I want to kind of mirror that.”
On the defense and if there have been any systems that have caught his eye as he tries to evolve with their unit:
“Honestly, that’s a very interesting question. So defensively, we’re always looking at new schemes. And I would also say, when we’re scouting teams in college, we’re also looking at schemes that are being run in colleges as well. Think about even going back to my rookie year with the Wildcat offense. I saw that in college with [Darren] McFadden and Felix Jones, and then it kind of matriculated its way up here to the NFL. It’s the same thing now where what’s coming down the pipe, not only defensively, but also offensively, what can we expect coming down the pipe into the NFL ranks? So I watch it all. And we’re a game-plan team, as I always say, and we’re going to do what’s best for our team to win games.”
On what he meant by Keion White taking a step forward:
“Look, his versatility. He’s always been a strong guy, but I would say he’s even stronger now, and he’s doing a good job. He’s here each and every day. And in the meeting rooms, he’s actually kind of talking and leading those conversations, which I think is important. And we always talk about that year two jump being that’s the biggest jump you’re going to have.”
On if the quarterback reps have changed since how they did things the first day:
“You would hope by the end of the spring that everyone has had a significant amount of reps where you can evaluate those guys. And look, you guys aren’t out here every day. We give you a snapshot, and I think you bring up a good point. But every practice is its own.”
On if there’s a way to get Maye more reps that don’t necessarily require him being out on the field, and if ‘more is better’ or if there’s a certain point things might hit:
“In my opinion, look, it’s a case-by-case basis. But I would also say it’s not only what’s done out here on the football field. And I know when we talk about meetings, we usually talk about sitting at a desk and taking notes. But we have spaces inside the building where you can actually go out there and get real-life looks at the defenses and go through the calls with coaches. So he’ll get his reps.”
On if there is any use of virtual reality, based on something Eliot Wolf mentioned:
“Look, the virtual stuff is great. And that’s another way that you can steal some of those reps without being on the football field. And absolutely, we’re interested in that type of technology. We have rooms in the building that have some of that technology, but obviously, technology changes every single day. We’re looking for the best thing.”
On if he’s observed anything about Maye that has impressed or surprised him:
“I wouldn’t say surprise me. We spent an extraordinary amount of time looking into Drake and to his past and his family and things like that. So I wouldn’t say he surprised me. I mean, this is what we expect from a guy that we think has the potential to be a very good player in this league.”
On the changes on special teams and if the new kickoff rule affects that:
“One thing I would say about the leadership on special teams, we still have Joe Cardona. We still have Matt Slater in the building. I know he’s not running down there on punts anymore, but it’s still good to have him there. I would also say a guy like Schooler who he is another person I would put in that same bucket, someone that has surprised me. And I’ve had conversations like, look, let’s start to take that step forward, not only going out there and making plays on the field, but also getting the guys together and building that camaraderie with the group. So School and Cardona, those guys are going to do a good job for us leading those units.”
On how so with Schooler:
“Well, first of all, we know he plays hard each and every down, and he’s out there each and every time there’s a special team snap. I think that’s the most important thing. It’s hard to lead when you’re not out there on the field. Look, I was a captain for seven years. I had a couple of IR years, and it’s very difficult to lead if you’re not there on the field. So I would say attendance. And then look, he’s a great athlete in the weight room, always pushing guys to go forward, and then really just helping with the younger guys on the special teams.”
On the proposal by the NFLPA to modify the offseason program and get rid of OTAs, and his thoughts on that:
“Honestly, in these stages, it’s just a proposal, and this is exactly what they want to happen. That’s having this conversation right here. One thing I will say, though, and I truly believe it, the athletes, no matter what sport you’re talking about, they have to take accountability for their career. And anytime you push that back like that, you’re going to start to lose some of those guys that don’t have the discipline early on in their careers to really stay in shape. So if you think you’re going to come there later and everyone’s going to be in shape, I just don’t foresee that, but I don’t have a fortune [teller].”
On Chad Ryland’s struggles and what he’s seen from him:
“Look, his mentality is that it’s a new year. We always talk about changing the page. We always talked about that the past 10 years, whatever, changing the page. I think he’s done a good job of that. And look, we have new coaches as well. And so they’re working with them, not only on his technique, but just building that confidence. And that starts right now.”
On Dont’a Hightower’s adjustment as a coach:
“It’s funny you say that. He came to me this morning asking me for advice, and I was like, ‘Well, welcome to coaching.’ As much as you think it’s about X’s and O’s and getting guys to play hard for you, it’s also a leadership role. I’m a huge believer. Look, you manage processes. You don’t manage people. You lead people. We bounce some ideas off of each other, but he has to come up with his own philosophy and the way he deals with things. It’s been good for him. He should apologize to me when I coached him. He kind of gave me those same headaches.”
On his relationship with DeMarcus Covington in his new role:
“We’ve had a great working relationship and even a great relationship off the field, even our families. We see things the same for the most part. And there are also things that you got to have those conversations and come to a final conclusion. I think he understands that. But once again, we’ll see as we start to build into real football, how it works out. But right now, it’s going well.”
On how closely he’s been following the Celtics and if there’s anything he can learn from them:
“It’s interesting. First of all, I root for all Boston teams. Second of all, I would say, look, I’ve known Joe [Mazzulla] before he was the head coach of the Celtics, and it kind of happened a little bit different, not a traditional way, but at the same time, he was out here two summers when he was just an assistant coach. So we’ve had that relationship and always stayed in contact. We talk ball, we talk about how to deal with the people. I think at the end of the day, it’s all about the people. And he’s been a great resource for me. Go Celtics. Take care.”
(Editor’s Note: This transcript is done via the available footage and is subject to typos. If you spot something, please take a moment to let me know in the comments below.)
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