Here’s the full transcript of New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s press conference for Friday August 16, 2024:
On his post-game press conference about the offensive line where he said, ‘We have another preseason game coming up. We’re going to play. The only way you’re going to get better at football is to play’ and whether that specific to offensive line, or if he was thinking more holistically as an offense in that final preseason game:
“I was talking more holistically. I think the entire offense definitely needs to play and continue to gel, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
On Drake Maye, and if there was a play or something that happened in the game that he could point to that reflected his growth or his learning that he had taken a mistake he had made before or a play he didn’t make before that showed up in the game:
“Some of the things that happened during the last couple of weeks was just stepping up into pressure. And I thought he did a better job overall with using his legs and really extending plays. And he made some good throws. We didn’t come down with the catch, but he definitely took a step forward. The sack happened… the defensive end got chipped inside. Just that miscommunication to see him take a hit like that is definitely unfortunate. But I would say as a whole, I thought he moved around a lot better.”
On the fact he raised a hypothetical in regard to the starting quarterback position, and there was some ifs involved in regard to, Drake potentially beating Jacoby Brissett out, and if he sees this as being a competition between the two of them right now as to who is going to be the starting quarterback against Cincinnati:
“I do. We have three more days of training camp practices, and it’s our job as coaches to evaluate, and the competition isn’t over. They’re still going to go out there, and they have to show not only themselves and the coaches, but also their teammates. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
On the fact he mentioned the strides that Drake has taken and his development so far, and what additionally he needs to see from him to be comfortable that he could be their guy on opening day:
“Yeah, I think first and foremost is just the entire operation. I think it needs to be faster. I think he needs to get those guys in the huddle faster, get them out of the huddle faster, and get to the line and just be on point. I think that’s definitely a thing that he has to work on. I think he is, and, like I said, we have three more days of camp, and that’s going to be my point of emphasis for him.”
On the fact we saw Josh Uche playing into the second half last night and if that had anything to do with the scuffle that we saw in the joint practice:
“No, it didn’t have anything to do … Look, that wasn’t a fight. So when I was talking about a fight, I’m talking about punches being thrown. Now, scuffles, they happen all the time. It was a bunch of pushing and shoving, but that had nothing to do with it.”
On if there’s any update on JaQuae Jackson:
“Yeah, I should have probably started with that. So obviously, a scary incident on the field. The X-rays came back negative, and he’ll be getting an MRI this morning. So as soon as I get more information, I will share it.”
On the contact quarterbacks were taking running back and what his approach will be in the final preseason game when it comes to how much time they spend on the move and how much they’re looking to avoid contact:
“You never want to see your quarterback take a lot of shots in the game, but it is part of the game. That’s what makes quarterbacks special, the ones that can get smacked and just get right back up and move on to the next play. We can’t take insurance out on the guys. They’re going to go out there and play, and they’re going to go out there and compete.”
On if he can envision Maye taking first-team reps over the last three training camp practices:
“We’ll see. We’ll have a staff meeting later on today, and that decision will be made. I do think he definitely showed improvement yesterday as a whole, and we’ll see what happens going forward.”
On if there’s been anything specific keeping him from taking those first-team reps, or if that’s just what the plan has been to this point:
“Yeah, this has just been the plan that we put together. You have to adjust those plans based on the competition, but that definitely is the development plan for Drake.”
On his thoughts on Jacoby Brissett’s night and what he saw on the interception in the end zone:
“It was just forcing the play. We had other guys open on that play. It was a poor play. It was a terrible play. We can’t have those, especially when you have guaranteed points on the board. It turns from a, ‘All right, we got a field goal already pretty much secure,’ to now really being a seven-point play by turning the ball over. So just a poor play overall. And I think if you asked Jacoby, he would say the same thing.”
On Drake Maye and the fumbled snap and if he can shed any light on what happened:
“Yeah. So we had three quarterback center exchanges. You can sit here and say whose fault it is, but it’s both of theirs. It’s a problem between the quarterback and the center. And we definitely have to get better at that. I mean, that’s part of the preseason is to make sure that we’re good on our quarterback center exchange. And you have to get used to taking snaps from other people outside of David Andrews, and we just got to do a better job and rep that more. But that was one of the more disappointing things, just to know how many times the ball was on the ground.”
On what he’s seeing from the kicking competition:
“Yeah, I mean, that one, it was a good kick last night. It’s still up in the air. Still up in the air. Like I said, it’s our job to evaluate not only the coaches, but also the scouts. And we’re going to try to put pressure on those guys this week and see who kind of comes out on top.”
On what he saw from Raekwon McMillan:
“Yeah, I would just say tone setter. He went out there on special teams and defense and made a bunch of plays. He was coming down the hill. We talk about block destruction. He was flying around, and I love to see it. I know what he’s been through the last couple of years, and it was good to see him out there playing good ball.”
On the status of Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones:
“Yeah, I would say both of those guys are very close to returning.”
On with them out, the fact it’s been a greater opportunity for someone like Alex Austin, and Isaiah Bolden, Marco Wilson, and if any one of those three stepped forward, maybe in that group, in that competition, to establish themselves as the next guy:
“The frustrating part is it depends on what day you look out there. It’s up and down, up and down. And it’s about consistency in this league, as you know. And we’re looking for consistency opposite of Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez].”
(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.
