Here’s the full transcript of New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s press conference for Thursday August 15, 2024:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Look, obviously, that one kind of stinks. First loss as a head coach. Just like last week, we talked about this game being very important, especially after we practiced against this team and I felt like the guys were ready to go. I just got to do a better job making sure that we focus on the details across the board. I always believe in good fundamentals really outweighs the Xs and O’s. If you look at the game, the first half, we tackled a lot better than we did the second half. It’s those three or four plays that always bite you. That’s what I told the team. The problem is you just never know when those plays are going to show up. So back to the drawing board.”
On what he saw from Drake Maye:
“Yeah, he had great composure. I thought it was a good drive. I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things. So hopefully, he can build on that, and we’ll see how this week goes.”
On the Matthew Judon trade:
“Look, you guys know how I feel about Judon, and obviously, he’s moving on. I felt like it’s a win-win for both parties, and I wish him nothing but the best. I always tell the guys these are long-term relationships, and nothing’s changed.
On who some of the players are that he thinks might be a big part of filling what Judon would have done for them:
“We’ve gone years without having a premier rusher. Right? The Chandler Jones, the Judons of the world. But we were able to manufacture pass rush through our stunts and our game planning. So it’s not going to be one person. It’s hard to sit here and say one person can replace Matthew Judon, both on the field and off the field. But I think we have a good group ready to go and step into those shoes.”
On putting Maye in the shotgun and using some of the concepts he was familiar with in college:
“It’s very important to do those things. Like you said, he did it in college. The problem is, from college to here, is just the language. Once you can start to link the language that you learned in college to the language that you’re learning right now, the game becomes a little bit easier from an Xs and Os perspective. I look forward to seeing how he builds off of today, but he did a lot of good things.”
On what went into the decision to play Maye so much more tonight compared to last week and if that was always the plan:
“Yeah, that was always the plan. What I told you guys last week, that was always the plan to play him more. It was the plan to play him in the third quarter so we can go through some of those adjustments and see if he can handle that stuff, and he did.”
On the success they’ve had in the pass rush despite going against backup offensive lines:
“It’s been good to see that. I would say if you watch the defensive film against the Eagles, they had their starters in there, and we still were able to generate a good amount of pass rush. It’s exciting. At the same time, look, it doesn’t matter when you come out here today and you just don’t have those impactful plays later in the game.”
On watching Drake Maye running, scrambling, and how he feels about watching his top pick running that much in a preseason game:
“You don’t want to see them take big hits. I talked to Joe [Milton] when he came off the field, when he tried to run over a guy. These are grown men on the other side as well. What I will say is that if you look at the best quarterbacks in the league, they have to be able to make those off-schedule plays. I would say all three of those guys, all of them really have the ability to do that. It’s more about the hits. It’s okay getting out the pocket.”
On Maye’s composure and how he’s seen that grow during this preseason and what about it tonight stuck out to him:
“Well, one of the reasons we drafted Drake was, through the interview process, you could tell this was an even-keeled guy. I think you guys can probably see it from the stands. This guy doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He was like that in college. He probably was like that as a kid, and he remains that way now, which is a good thing for a quarterback. Those guys have to … they have to maintain their composure and get the call to the huddle and get those guys out the huddle and be ready to go. So he’s always been like that in my mind.”
On the fact that during Maye’s touchdown, they had six rookies on the field and how cool of a moment that was:
“It was great. It was great. And look, we hope that these guys can grow up together and develop together. And we have a good nucleus of guys in the future. And that’s what we were aiming for.”
On Kayshon Boutte making a case to both stay with the team and become a consistent part of the offense:
“Yeah, he’s making a great case. It seems like every day he’s making plays. He runs good routes. He has good hands. The run after the catchability, it’s all there. Now it’s about just gaining the trust not only of your teammates, but also the coaches, so he definitely has a chance.”
On the drops by Javon Baker and if that’s something he can practice or if he needs more concentration:
“Absolutely. I think it’s a combination of concentration, figuring out what he has to do. Look, he has good hands. He had good hands in college. He has good hands now. He just has to show that in the game.”
On if the offensive line would ever be an impediment to maybe considering him the starter or not giving him as much time if they don’t trust the line:
“For me, we always talk about competition, and that’s at all spots. So even if Drake beats out Jacoby, he earned that role. We don’t really take that into consideration when he’s ready to go. And if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play, he’ll start.”
On what he saw from the offensive line:
“There were definitely some ups and some downs. I would say there’s a dramatic drop off, not really physically, but just knowing what to do between the first line and the second and third guys. They have to get better as a whole, as a unit. They just have to get better, and that comes through playing football games. We have another preseason game coming up. We’re going to play, and that’s the only way you’re going to get better at football is playing football.”
(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.
