Here’s the full transcript of what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say on Wednesday, July 24, 2024:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“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. 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, it’s a little different than when I played because the acclamation period. I do think it’s good as far as player safety is concerned, not just jumping right in the pads. Hopefully, here in seven days, we’ll be in full pads, so excited about that opportunity as well.”
“Today, just another chance for these guys to display their athleticism and what they learn in the classroom. So we’ll see how that goes.”
On confirming it will be even days before players will be in pads:
“Yeah, it’ll be about seven days. I think it’s seven days.”
On how his love of the game has changed after having transitioned from player to coach:
“I’ve always loved the game. Either you love it, or you don’t. To me, it’s always a 10 out of 10. And as a coach, you just get another opportunity to help guys develop and become the players that they want to be.”
On the acclimation period, and how he gets guys ready to begin tackling and get their bodies ready when they can’t do it as much as they used to:
“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. So we’ll be better tacklers at the end of the season than we were at the beginning.”
On the fact they’ve always been known for being good tacklers and if they have to change much in that department:
“I led the league in tackles, man. Do your research. [Laughs]”
Did you?
“Yeah.”
On if they’re tweaking anything in their drills in that department:
“No, not really. And 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.”
On the fact historically they’ve started out in the red zone and whether or not that’s where the initial focus will be:
“No. We’ll start out in the field, be early downs, and then we’ll work our way into the red zone.”
On the fact Antonio Gibson was placed on NFI and if there are any concerns:
“No, no concern at all. I mean, he’s on the active roster still. When he’s ready to go, he’ll be out here.”
On the change in the starting time of camp and if there any other changes we’ll notice:
“I think the first thing, I know it’s small, but just the music during practice. That helps the time go by as well, gets the guys excited, gets the guys pumped. Look, it’s all about competition, what I talked about. So you’ll see more competitive periods as the offseason continues to grow.”
On if he picks the music:
“I don’t. So that’s one of those prizes you give the guys, the offseason award winners. Let those guys pick the music, and they love it.”
On who the offseason award winners are and if they have that list:
“Yeah, we do. We’ll get that list to you. Stacey [James], you’re good on that? [Looks around] Well, wherever Stacey went. We’ll get that list to you.”
On what he’s most excited about and what fans should be excited about:
“I think 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 during training camp that we put together. So, got a lot of players, and once again, those guys are excited to come out here and work and to compete. And that’s my message I’m going to be preaching to them.”
[Inaudible] – On the message to Gibson and message from coaches?:
“Yeah. Look, those guys have been playing football since they were little kids. It’s no different. Obviously, the game is a little bit faster, but at the same time, it’s football. It’s football and go out there and have fun. I stressed to him last night, look, make sure you’re talking to the veteran players. they know what to expect.”
On if he expects Gibson to be out there by the time the regular season rolls around:
“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 out there.”
On who he expects to potentially step up while Sione Takitaki is on the sideline:
“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.”
On if there’s a structure for how they want to work Drake into the mix and if everything is pre-planned:
“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 [Bailey] Zappe, and obviously, Jacoby. He’s our starter at this point. So he’ll have ample opportunity to go out there and prove himself.”
On in terms of the plan for Drake Maye, whether it’s today’s plan, a week’s plan, a month’s plan, etc:
“No, it’s a day-by-day thing. We meet every morning, we meet every night to kind of script that stuff out.”
On where he’ll be spending his time and what his priorities will be:
“To me, look, I’m a floater. 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 destruction, those things carry over. It’s all about fundamentals. Look, I’ll probably spend most of my time on the defensive side, but at the same time, I’ll definitely make my way over.”
On the fact in the past if guys made penalties, we’d see them run laps, including in joint practices, and whether they’re going to keep that going:
“We’re going to keep that going. We’re going to keep that going because penalties, turnovers, all those things kill you. They’re going to take off.”
On what it felt like for him waking up this morning and if it was different for him:
“You know, it felt the same. It 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 just to bring it back down a little bit.”
On his favorite instructor:
“That’s tough. I’m going to go with Olivia. Olivia, yeah, she’s great.”
On if he expects Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux to participate today:
“Yeah, I expect all these guys to participate.”
On what the most important thing for the Patriots is in this new era:
“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.”
On the fact Tyquan Thornton worked as an X receiver during the spring and why he feels Thornton was a good fit there and how he feels about the competition at that spot:
“Look, 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 offense coordinator and our receiver coaches to get him to the point where he can make an impact for our team.”
On the fact he talked about spending time off at the Vineyard and getting himself ready for camp, and if he has any books or anything he’s done to make himself better:
“I love to read. You know what I’ve been doing, though? I signed up for Masterclass, and that’s a pretty good platform. And then Farnam Street. Farnam, I don’t know if you guys know about Furnam Street.”
“I do. Shane [Parrish].”
“Yeah, Shane. That website has a lot of good articles. I’m a huge believer in it. 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 could be an elementary school teacher. There are principles that carry over to now adulthood in professional sports. ”
On the lessons he’s learned outside of football and if it facgtored into the change in scheduling for meetings and practice:
“A little bit as far as scheduling, but I would also say this is a relationship business. As much as we 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 you have to show the players and coaches warmth before competence. I think that’s a huge piece. When you talk about how do you motivate people, how do you help people become disciplined players? All of those principles kind of show up in different industries.”
On what Master Class he signed up for:
“Well, I didn’t – I signed up for the whole service, so they’re all available. I just got to click around.”
On which ones he’s done:
“Right now, I’m on the Storyteller. I think it was Michael Lewis, the guy. He’s on there now, so I’m on that.”
On if he expects anyone else to be limited today:
“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 me on better than anyone else. They have the freedom, if they see a guy struggling, they pull them out. I think that’s important.”
On the fact he talked about Keion White in terms of players who surprised and if he has any other players appearing to take that second-year jump:
” I wouldn’t say any individual player yet. If you ask me this question next week, I’ll let you know. So it’s still kind of early. ”
(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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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
