TRANSCRIPT: Jerod Mayo Press Conference 9/4
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Here’s the full transcript of New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s press conference on Wednesday, September 4, 2024:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Good afternoon. Look, excited for the opportunity to get into the regular season. I think the guys are ready to go. Had a conversation with them this morning about how we need to play the game and how we need to be fundamentally sound and be prepared for anything. This is a high-awareness game, and it’s always like that at the beginning part of the season. I know everyone talks about the kickoff and kickoff return. What’s that going to look like? But really, when you look back on the preseason, teams really just go out there and run basic things over and over and over again. We’ll see some things that we don’t see on film, and once again, it’s a huge awareness game. But excited for the opportunity. Like I said earlier, I think the guys are ready to go, or will be ready to go, I should say.”
On what he feels they need to do as a team to get out of there with a win:
“Yeah, I think we have to go out there and really be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. I think we need to play well on special teams as well. But it’s about the line of scrimmage. It’s about controlling the line of scrimmage and controlling the game. Look, they have a high-powered team. They have a high-powered offense. I think the defense is aggressive because they know they have a high-powered offense, in my opinion. Those guys on defense, they fly around, they do a lot of good things. And don’t forget about special teams. Those guys play very aggressive, and we have to be able to combat that.”
On what he means by a ‘high-awareness’ game:
“Yeah. So when I talk about awareness, the most important thing, it starts with down in distance. What’s the score in the game? Where’s the quarterback? Where’s the tight end? Who’s in the game? Where are the big three on offense? Those are the big keys, in my opinion.”
On how he would describe Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense:
“Lou, those guys, they send, whether it’s the star, the nickel corner, coming off the edge, the linebackers, they send people from everywhere, and they’re very fundamentally sound. We also have to be sound in our approach offensively. Like I said earlier, you can settle games down by running the football and control the game that way. I think that has to be one of the things that we get done.”
On how he plans on dividing up snaps among the Patriots receivers:
“Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. Early in the season, it’s tough to sit here and say, This guy can go out there and play 60 plays, because no one has done that to this point. And so all those guys have to be ready to go, and they’ll all play.”
On how much he can rely on the fact he has a quarterback and an offensive coordinator who has seen Cincinnati before:
“Look, they offer great insights on both sides of the football, look, they’re familiar with those guys, the team, the players, the scheme. Now, in saying that, every year is different. If you were to look at Cincy, two years ago, the offense and the defense still looks a little bit different. Now, will they go back to some of the things that they’ve done in the past? Absolutely. But this goes back to just being on high awareness. Having high awareness is the most important thing.”
On the fact he challenged Christian Gonzalez and how he’s handled the pressure that has been put on him:
“Yeah, he’s handled it well. Look, Gonzo is a man of few words, as we all know, but I’m just telling you, he has the skill set to be a premier corner in this league, and I’m excited to see this continued growth and see where it goes.”
On the fact he talked about there being things he’s still learning and if there’s any one particular thing that has stuck out that he’s learned so far:
“I couldn’t put my finger on just one thing. Every day is different. I had a great conversation at the owners’ meetings with Mike Tomlin, and he said, Look, he’s a veteran coach in this league, and he said every day is going to be different, and he wasn’t lying. That’s how it’s been so far.”
On the face Eliot Wolf talked about prioritizing young players, and what has been communicated to him about that and if he decides who plays and how much:
“We’re definitely aligned in that. Ultimately, it’s still my decision who plays and how much they play. But we have conversations throughout the week as far as the process is concerned. But once again, going back to our practice squad players or even those second stringers, we’re preparing those guys like they’re starters, and they should think that they’re always starters. We’re one play away from those guys really sliding in and being an impactful player for us.”
On how he would sum up his strategy as it pertains to player development:
“Well, I think it starts like you become good at football by playing football. It’s one thing for guys to go out and read a card. It’s a very reactive game. And then offensively, everyone has to really see the same picture through the same set of goggles. So when I talk about developing, it’s just about going out there, working on your fundamentals, and learning the scheme. Knowing what to do is definitely a huge part of it. And then how to do it, that’s through experience on the field.”
On how confident he is in the offense’s ability to run the football effectively:
“I think that’s one of the best things they’ve done throughout the entire camp, and hopefully that continues going forward.”
On how difficult it is preparing for the Bengals offense when they don’t know what Ja’Marr Chase is going to be like:
“It’s very difficult. I’ve told our guys, We’re going to prepare like he’s playing. I think you have to prepare that way. If he doesn’t play, we’ll treat it like an injury. But he’s a premier player in this league without a doubt, and we have to be ready for him.”
On the run game, and what he’s seen from that specific piece of the offense that’s been encouraging:
“I would say on both sides of the ball during the preseason, I thought we played physical up front. I thought they were able to move bodies and run the football. We’ll see if that continues going forward.”
On what he wants to see out of his quarterback:
“The number one thing for me is, look, making the right decision. We talk about the correlation between turnovers and wins and losses. I just want to see the offense put drives together. I want to see the quarterback go out there and make good throws, go through his reads, and perform like we know he can.”
On if he expects any type of philosophical change from the Bengals’ defensive front:
“One thing about Trey [Hendrickson], and don’t forget about [Sam] Hubbard as well on the opposite side, all those guys up front, they do a good job. Like I said earlier, they’re aggressive, and they bring players from all over. So you can sit there and say, ‘Well, it’s just these four guys always coming,’ but that’s not always the case. Trey has everything that you want in a defensive end. He has a great motor, great technique. Look, over the last few years, he’s put up big numbers, so he’s definitely a target for us.”
On the fact the team would prepare for non-division opponents early in the offseason and how much work has already been done with the Bengals before this week:
“There was a lot of work. We look at those teams throughout the year, and once again, it’s hard to really say, ‘All right, we got it’ in the summertime because there are so many transactions and injuries and things that happen. This week, this is a normal week for us. Wednesday, we’ll go over our early down stuff, and we’ll just progress through the week like normal. But that work, ahead of time, definitely helps give us a jumpstart.”
On what stands out about Ja’Lynn Polk and what he’s seen from him up to this point:
“Look, he’s a hard worker. In college, one of the things that really jumped out on tape for me was his ability to block. I think he’s a good blocking receiver, and we’re going to need that. As we continue to talk about running the football, everyone has to be out there blocking. It’s not just the offensive linemen. Our receivers need to block, and I think Polk does a good job of that. Now, run after catch, he can do all that stuff, and he has great hands, great route running ability.”
On the fact he remembers getting ready for his first game as a player and now has a head coach, and what he’s learned that has helped him feel more prepared than he maybe did a couple of months ago:
“One thing I would say, going through the preseason, just from an operational standpoint and having multiple channels on your head said that was a learning curve for me. But It went smooth in the preseason. Hopefully, that continues going forward.”
On if this has been a drastic change from 22 to 23 in what they’re doing now in Alex Van Pelt’s offense in the run game and if the personnel suits it exactly as he hoped:
“Yeah, I would say, look, as far as personnel, we’re always trying to get better players. Now, from a scheme standpoint, and I guess this will be an educational series for everyone in the room, on early downs, there are only really five different types of runs. So they try to dress things up no matter who you’re talking about. You have zone to the tight-end side, you have zone to the open side, you have the gap scheme, and then you have some of the trickier runs. But for the most part, early downs is pretty basic and standard across the league. Now, in saying that, once you get the third down, that’s when you start to get the exotic things in. And I feel good about the personnel that we have out there, and I feel like we have to run the ball as a team going forward to win football games.”
On the fact it’s been almost two years since they’re last match-up against Cincinnati and what he remembers from that game and specifically the game plan going into it:
“I would say defensively, third down was a struggle, and those get back on track, second and long plays were a struggle for us in that game. That’s one thing that definitely sticks out to me.”
On the fact historically Jacoby Brissett has avoided turnovers and what he’s seen from him throughout the years of why he’s going to protect the ball:
“Yeah, going back to the spring, just being familiar with the offense, first and foremost. And then I would say, secondly, he makes the right decisions, and I think he gives us the best chance to win games. Based on his experience, he’s done it, he’s played out there. Hopefully, we can talk about this after the game. There’s no turnovers, no INTs.”
On if they’ve settled on the offensive alignment, and whether or not it will be the same as we saw in the last preseason game:
“Yeah, at least some form of that. We’re still going through it, though.”
On the fact he’s gone through having a season-ending injury and coming back the following year, and what he’s seen from Raekwon McMillan who is coming back from something similar:
“I would say, personally, for me, I went through that three times, so I have him beat. I understand the psychological component to getting back out there and playing. I would say he’s always been a leader since the first time he stepped in the doors. Even when he was injured, he was still doing things on the back end, similar to how it was for me when I went through that.”
On other than Ja’Marr Chase’s physical skills, what makes him such a tough player:
“Yeah. Look, this guy’s a great competitor. You see him going up, battling with corners and safeties. He’s a great competitor, so that’s the one non-physical thing I would say about him that makes him a special player.”
On as a running team, what he can do to install that mentality:
“I think it’s… Look, I would say, toughness, for me, the first place you really see toughness is in the weight room. That’s the first place that you can see if your team is tough or not. Then secondly, I would say, after seeing these guys each and every day during camp and the progress they’ve made in the running game and their mentality, it’s been great. That unit is led by Dave Andrews, who’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around.”
On the pressure packages by the Bengals and what he’s seen from Lou Anarumo that makes him such a renowned defensive coordinator:
“I hit on it already. You don’t know where these guys are coming from, and that’s a hard thing. I think he does a good job with that stuff.”
“Thanks, guys.”
(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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