TRANSCRIPT: Jerod Mayo’s Press Conference 6/12
Follow us
Follow Us
🕑 Read Time: 7 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Transcripts
HOME > Patriots Blog > Patriots Transcripts
Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say during his press conference on Wednesdsay, June 12, 2024.
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Lost a basketball legend today [in Jerry West]. I just saw it on the news. So my condolences to the family and all the people that he’s impacted.”
“All right, here we go. Questions?”
On if Tom Brady has addressed the team by any chance or if any of the former guys around have:
“No, he’s busy. They had something last night. I know a lot of guys went up there and caught up with Tom, but excited to see him. Excited for the event today.”
On what the message is for guys who are leaving town after today, especially for the younger guys:
“The message is don’t lose the gains that you’ve made. And either you’re getting better or you’re getting worse. There is no maintaining. So continue to work out at home and make good decisions off the field. If you do that, you’ll be okay.”
On the fact it looked like Drake Maye made some strides and how happy he is with what he’s done this spring?
“Yeah, he’s done a great job. He’s going in the right direction. Now, in saying that, we know there are going to be some down days. And that’s one thing that I’ve been trying to stress to him is, All right, just keep chipping at the rock, get 1% better every day. It’s not always going to be great. And he’s done a good job.”
On what he’s hoping to accomplish in this last day before the break with the team:
“I think first and foremost is to get out of here healthy. If we can get everyone out of here healthy, that would be a great thing. Today’s practice will be a little bit shorter, but also to go out here and compete, but in a safe way. We understand it’s a noncontact camp. We want these guys to compete. We want these guys to continue to bond. And even the bond here today, a lot of these guys will be at the event tonight. Hopefully, that continues to carry over over the next few weeks.”
On the fact it’s the last mandatory mini-camp, and whether or not he’s expecting anyone to pop in today at all:
“I’m not sure. There are a lot of people in town. If you just walk around the place, walk around Patriot Place, you don’t know who you’re going to run into. I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll have a few guys here, I’m sure. At the same time, look, they’re gearing up for the night. They’re here for the night.”
On what his impression has been of Drake Maye, and what has it been like to coach him for the last month:
“It’s been great. It’s been great. We spent an extensive amount of time, his background, his family, how he is on the field, how he is off the field. So we knew the person that we were getting. I would say the surprising thing is just the way he’s able to pull the nose up. And what I mean by saying that is he makes a bad throw, it’s out of his head, move on to the next play. And I think Jacoby’s done a great job as well as AVP and the rest of the staff, really helping them out with that. You’re going to make mistakes. And this is the time to make those mistakes.”
On what the status is with Davon Godchaux:
“Yeah, DG, look, we want him here. He’s one of our best players. He’s working. I will say that, he is working. He’s here every single day, has been here every single day, and look forward to getting him on the field in camp.
On if his situation is similar to the one we saw with Matthew Judon last year:
“I wouldn’t put it in those words. Look, there are guys that, obviously, they want to redo contracts and stuff like that. And not just DG, it’s a bunch of guys that want to do those things. And we’re working through it. Eliot and his staff, they do a great job as far as handling that. I don’t get into the player contracts. What I will say is, one thing I’ve learned is sometimes the value that the team has on a person is a little bit different than the value that the market has on a person. And so those are just things I’m learning, guys. Like I told you guys before, I’m green, but I’m learning. I’m evolving, and these are the conversations that have to be had.”
On what the goal is for him over the next month, and what he’d like to get done along with whether or not he’ll ‘unplug’ for a little bit and if he’ll still be around here:
“I’ve always looked at this period of time, even as a player, as a time to really develop. So if you guys have some good book titles or anything like that, send them my way. But at the same time, I love football. I love thinking about football. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be thinking about football. But I got to spend some time with my family as well. And this is the time you build up that good goodwill with your family, knowing that once you get to camp, it’s go time. The work-life balance, the 50-50 thing, that’s not a thing. It’s 100-100. Either I’m 100 % at work or I’m 100 % at home.”
On the fact a lot of first-time coaches will say one of the things that surprised them is how much of what they had to do that wasn’t coaching or football-related, and if he’s found that balance as far as just being out here on the field:
“Yeah, absolutely. I remember when I first took the job, it was like, Man, I’m just in a room all day, every day. The first time we were able to come out on the field, Phase 2, it was one of those eye-opening experiences. Even the veteran mini-camp time, it’s been just a great time to really talk about football fundamentals and also Xs and O’s. You’re exactly right. There’s a lot of non-football things that head coaches have to deal with.”
On the fact Michael Onwenu was playing some right guard at Monday’s practice and if that’s still a consideration:
“Look, we’re going to try to get the best five out there. Once again, it’s hard to evaluate offensive line and defensive line during this time. So we’ll see when training camp comes around. But once again, we always talk about the more you can do, the versatility, not only with the players, but also the coaches. And he’s one of those guys that is blessed with that versatility to be able to play both spots.
On the fact we did see Caedan Wallace over at tackle and his early impressions of him are:
“Yeah, I would say these young O-Linemen and even the guys making that second-year jump, they’ve been doing a good job, Scottie [Peters] and the rest of it, and [Robert] Kugler, the rest of that crew. They’ve really been focused on fundamentals and things like that, less about scheme right now, but all those guys are doing a good job.”
On the fact Alex Van Pelt said last week that they installed pretty much the entire offense, and they’re trying to run through it twice this spring so that they can hit the ground running for training camp. After seeing it twice, what are his thoughts:
“It’s good. We control the ball. But I would say this, you really don’t know about the running game and until we put pads on. But those guys, as far as the lingo, the language, and the execution, I think those guys are pretty much on a good pace.”
On Sione Takitaki and what’s it been like to have him in the building, and if he has any update on when he might be able to get back on the field:
“It’s been great having Takitaki here. I’ve actually watched him the last two years. It was always that, ‘Man, this is a good guy to have.’ He’s good to be around. He understands the defense, the Xs and O’s, and dealing with a little bit, just some soreness or whatever. But once again, it’s a new program. It’s expected.”
On with the O’Line, we’ve obviously seen a lot of different combinations out here, especially with Jacoby [Brissett] …
“This is why I tell you guys, don’t do the depth charts.”
On whether there will be a point in time where he wants to have five guys to build continuity, and if that’s a training camp thing:
“Absolutely. I mean, at some point in time, all right, here’s the depth chart. This is what it is. And to your point, the offensive line, there should be no tighter group than the offensive line, obviously there to protect the quarterback.”
On Jaylinn Hawkins and how he sees him fitting in:
“Yeah, we have a good safety group. We have versatility back there. We have safeties that can play linebacker. We have safeties that can play in the deep parts. It’s going to be a very competitive group, and we’ll see in training camp, but he’s done a good job for us.”
On if he envisions going into camp with four quarterbacks:
“Absolutely. That’s how I see it right now. Look, we’ll have these conversations as the week progresses, but that’s how I see it right now.”
On the health front, the fact he mentioned getting out of here healthy and outside of maybe Cole Strange, if everyone else is tracking to maybe be ready for the start of training camp:
“Everyone else is tracking. They’re tracking to be there, let’s just say, the first couple of weeks of training camp. So we’re fairly healthy.”
On having to make some cuts in training camp and what that process has been like for him:
“Yeah, the process, it has been tough, but I would say even when I was a linebacker coach, I’ve always looked at these as long term relationships and have always tried to treat those guys with respect and transparency. And those conversations are hard. At the same time, there’s a business side of it that I think most of the guys understand.”
On how he would sum up his first spring here as a head coach:
“I don’t know. I guess that’s for you guys to really figure out and you guys to write about. I’ve learned a ton. I’ve learned a ton, not only just out here on the field, but also in the classroom, being able to talk to coaches that have been outside of this building has been great. Being able to reach out to guys like Kevin O’Connell, having Tony Dungey here, it’s been fantastic for me. And that’s why I say this is the first evolution for me as Jerod Mayo, the head coach, and it’ll probably be different at some point in time, but I’m learning a ton, and it’s been great.”
On how much of his business experience has informed his approach to his attention span, learning, optimizing that time in meeting rooms, health sessions, etc:
“Yeah, we always talk about mental sprints, right? We always talk about mental sprints. One thing I would say I took away from business is just being able to communicate with different people, different attitudes and different times of the year or men, women, black, white. It doesn’t really matter because when you work in business, it’s the whole gamut. This is a male-dominated industry, obviously. But there are women who are continuing to be promoted in this league, and also players, non-players. It’s just the communication part of it.”
On wrapping up the spring, if he expects the team to be there tonight:
“Yeah, we’ll have a good amount of players on this team right now. And like I said earlier, we’ll have a good amount of guys coming back to support Tom. It’s all about Tom today, and I’m excited to be a fan, honestly. He’s the GOAT.”
(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.)
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 2 - April 17 (Through 26yrs)
Join 2,000+ fans getting exclusive stats, analysis, and insights delivered straight to their inbox every week. Never miss a play.