TRANSCRIPT: Eliot Wolf Press Conference 8/18
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Here’s the full transcript of New England Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf’s press conference for Sunday, August 18, 2024:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Hi, everyone. Thanks for having me. Through two preseason games, we’re excited about really where we’re at as a team. We have a lot of work to do. This is a big week for us, just kind of operationally, being on the road, night game, roster cuts are Tuesday, and we play the last game of any team. So we’re cognizant of that with the injury situations. It’s going to be a challenge for us, but we’re excited about it.”
On the fact we heard a little bit on the preseason broadcast, but if he can walk us through the process when it came to Matthew and the decision to part ways with him:
“Like I said on the broadcast, all these decisions are difficult. We have to weigh now, the future, what’s best for the team, what’s best for the player. It was something that we just felt organizationally, and for Matthew, it was probably the best for both parties.”
On how sudden it was, if it was something that came up at the last minute, or was that something that had been ongoing for a while:
“Teams had been calling to check in. He had voiced a little bit of displeasure with his contract at different times. So whenever that happens, teams always check in on players. And so it was just something that came to fruition there at the end.”
On the fact back in April, he was asked if the roster was in the position to support a rookie quarterback, and at that time, he said he thought it could, and if he still feels that way, and if there any concern now about the offensive line:
“Well, we’re concerned about every position. We’re always looking to improve and get things good. So whoever the quarterback is, I mean, it’s not like if Jacoby [Brissett] is the quarterback, we just want to throw him to the wolves. So we’re excited about our offensive line group. We’re still working to find the correct combination in there. And I think we have the pieces in place to be able to compete.”
On whether or not he’s confident they can support any quarterback with the pieces they have in place:
“Yes.”
On the fact Jerod Mayo said that part of the reason Drake only played six snaps in the first preseason game was because of the state of the offensive line, and if that’s an indictment on what he’s done going into this season at those positions, and the fact he also said that Mike Onwenu was the best tackle in free agency, that Caedan Wallace would play left tackle, and that none of those things have happened:
“Which one of those hasn’t happened?”
We didn’t see Michael Onwenu at right tackle until yesterday. [Chukwuma] Okorafor hasn’t played left tackle in pads:
“Got you. So, yeah, Okorafor is taking reps on both sides, Onwenu took some reps at tackle yesterday. Again, I think we’re just trying to find the right combination. We feel confident in all these players, and we’re just working to find the best group rather than the best five individuals.”
On what does that free agent free agent market look like, and if that’s something he’s interested in, at offensive line:
“Again, we’re pretty comfortable with our group right now. Obviously, we’re going to look to upgrade on the offensive line or at any position if we feel like we can. But I think we gave up one sack the other night. Again, it was Philly’s twos, but it was an improvement to the practice on Tuesday. So again, we’re just looking to see how these guys respond to the adverse situations.”
On if they can envision themselves carrying four quarterbacks:
“Those are conversations that we’ll have moving forward. I think we’re going to try to carry the best 53, whoever those guys are.”
On the fact history has shown that on cut down day, there are some good football players from from teams that are released, especially along the line, and the fact they pick third and how much of an advantage is it:
“Yeah, absolutely. Our scouting department right now is all they’re doing is just grinding through the preseason film, watching players, talking to other teams, see who might become available. Having the third claim spot is a good advantage, and we’ll be aggressive, I think.”
On the pursuit of Brandon Aiyuk and what went into the decision to stop pursuing him:
“Yeah, just kind of a feel. It was sort of a situation where he’s still in San Francisco, and that hasn’t been worked out from their standpoint yet. But we just felt organizationally, our young receivers had a really good week, and they’re continuing to progress, so we’re excited about those guys.”
On if they’ve fully closed the door on pursuing Brandon Aiyuk:
“Yes, at this point.”
On what he’s seen from Drake Maye from the start of training camp until now:
“Yeah, Drake, it was good to see him get in there the other night. It was really good to see how calm and collected he was. He got headbutted at one point by Nolan Smith and kind of made a nice play on that one. But he’s steadily improved. He’s just kind of put his head down and worked. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited to see where his development can go.”
On how close he thinks Maye is to playing:
“We’ll have to see. Again, he didn’t get a lot of snaps, like Greg [Bedard] said in the first game, and he did pretty well in his snaps the other night. It’s all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes.”
On the fact he’s been around young quarterbacks who are trying to make their way and at times, it looks like maybe Maye’s over-processing, over-thinking, we’ve seen a lot of double clutching, and if that’s just, in his view, part of the process sense of being a 21-year-old quarterback learning a new system:
“Yeah, I mean, Drake’s very conscientious. He takes all the coaching points. He’s trying to do everything perfect. It was really nice to see him the other night kind of go out there and just play ball rather than trying to think about those things.”
On if C. J. Stroud makes it difficult for them with patience shown to these quarterbacks:
“Yeah, I mean, if you go look at it, C. J. Stroud was the anomaly in that regard. But again, it’s not about one person or one player. It’s about where the offense is and where Jacoby is and where the team is. And so we’re just kind of focused on that.”
On the fact Jerod Mayo said that he sees a dramatic drop off from the top offensive line to the second, third string units as far as knowing what to do and if he agrees with that, and how could he remedy that, if at all, from the front office:
“Again, I think just creating competition. I think our second offensive line, again, they’re moving around a lot. There’s a lot of pieces. We had a couple of guys out yesterday, so the pieces were moving even more. Again, I just think it’s about developing that consistency. It’s less about an individual not knowing what to do, but it’s more about having trust in the guy next to you. If you trust the guy next to you, it’s easier for you to do your job.”
On the fact he mentioned that when teams know there’s a contract situation, they generally check in if they’re interested, and without getting into specifics beyond Aiyuk, have they checked in on other receiver situations:
“We make calls on all positions, on all players that we think might be able to help us. Sometimes it’s just to try to gather information from other clubs and see what they’re thinking about their own roster.”
On the fact they were able to do new contracts with a lot of other guys and if there was no middle ground with Matthew Judon:
“Again, I told you guys in February, I’m not going to get into any contract type stuff here. That’s between us, the player and the agent.”
On when it comes to Vederian Lowe, what is it that gives him confidence in him as a top tackle, and if he’s always viewed him as a potential starter, or if that’s more of a development that happened this season:
“Yeah, Vederian has done a really nice job. He’s steadily improved. We said it last year, if he could just learn to… He has a really good length to get his hands out, that he would have a chance to ascend to that starter level. And he’s really started to do that this year. And it’s been impressive to watch him progress, and we’re excited to continue working with him.”
“Thank you.”
(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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