TRANSCRIPT: Jerod Mayo’s Interview With WEEI 10/21
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo explains his 'soft football team' comments on WEEI on Monday.
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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say Monday during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI following their loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.
Hi, Coach. Hey. How are you doing?
“Doing all right.”
So you focus this week, big focus in practice, starting fast, and you get over there and you started fast.
“Well, thanks for starting this off on a positive note.”
Yes.
“The guys started fast. I think defensively, we went five plays in the first quarter. I thought Drake [Maye] went out there and really ran the offense, ran the script the right way, and made plays. We scored a touchdown, so that was good to see.”
When … Your expectations for a rookie quarterback in his second game, has he exceeded those? Is he right where you thought he’d be?
“I mean, it’s kind of where we thought he would be. He’s progressing. The last game, he had what? Three turnovers. This game, no turnovers, and that’s progress. And so we look forward to seeing that continuing in the future.”
Jerod, when you say after the game, because we’ve been talking about this and we’re trying to figure it out, that your team is soft…
“Playing soft. Let me just go ahead and correct that. We’re playing soft.”
Okay.
“Because if you look at the first going back to training camp, there was definitely some toughness all around the place, and we still had the same players, and we just got to play that way.”
So when you say ‘playing soft,’ is that like they’re not rallying to the football? They’re making mental mistakes?
“No.”
What does it mean?
“To me, I said it last night. We got to be able to run the ball. We have to stop the run and cover kicks, and we did none of those. And that’s what equals a tough football team.”
Would you say that the team last year played soft?
“At times. Last year, we played soft at times. There have always been games within each individual season where you feel like you played soft that game. And like I said, to correct what I said, it’s not that we have a soft football team. We are just playing soft over the past few weeks.”
When you look at the game yesterday, though, Drake Maye seems like he has no issue or he’s not nervous about throwing the ball and getting it downfield. It seemed like there were points yesterday where that could have been helpful for you guys. And I know you’re not AVP [Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt], but you talk about the script. Why is he handing off the ball so often instead of just telling him, ‘Hey, open it up, do whatever you want?’
“I don’t think it was so often. In my opinion, it was two drives that we’re really talking about where we got away from the past, and it was two, three, and out. So we’re talking about six plays and five of those being runs. But after that, we did try to push the ball.”
What do you think that you can do and the coaching staff can do to get your guys back to playing that tough mentality of football? What can you maybe do in practice, something differently after you’re evaluating this?
“Yeah. Look, we practice hard every Wednesday. We’re in full pads, and it’s just about embracing the grind, embracing the suck, and just going out there and getting it done.”
Your old teammate, Devon McCourty, said last night, said when you hear about a team that’s not tough, a team that’s soft, as you said, or playing soft, you think about the head coach, and you have to ask that head coach what he’s doing to get these guys ready. Are you doing enough to get them ready?
“Sorry. I think I am. In saying that, look, obviously, our record does not reflect that. We are where our record says we are. We’re a one in six football team right now. As far as practice and really demanding a lot from the players, we all do that from a coaching perspective. Maybe we have to do it a little bit more. But we are what our record says we are.”
Do you feel like you have the right leaders in the locker room that can, if it becomes necessary, for teammates to motivate teammates? Do you have the right guys?
“I feel like we do. And once again, let me correct it, it’s not that we have a soft football team. We’re playing soft.”
Would you say that the performance from Drake Maye we’ve seen in the two games was close to how he was performing in practice? Is this about how he’s been over the course of the year?
“I would say he’s gotten better every single day, every single week.”
Do you look back on it at all and regret not starting him sooner?
“I don’t regret the way we handled the quarterback situation.”
There have been questions. There have been arguments on both sides of you guys going for two yesterday. What went into that decision, and do you think it was the right one still?
“I do. And what I would say is a philosophical thing. Look, at some point in time, you’re going to have to go for two anyway. So if you go for two in that instance, you know exactly what situation you’re in going forward. Look, even saying that we should have executed the play and got the two points, and we would never even be talking about this, but that was the thinking behind it.”
Kendrick Bourne said that guys need to make different decisions and reference staying up all night and eating whatever quote. You feel like that? You feel like guys are not prepared?
“No, I feel like guys are prepared. He’s talking about just when you’re outside of the building, and that’s part of being a professional football player. You have to take care of your body. You have to be ready to work every single day. I’m not sure exactly what he’s talking about. Now, in saying that, everyone at this point in time is looking for solutions. And whether it’s the media, whether it’s coaches, whoever it is, everyone’s looking for solutions because we are one and six.”
When it comes to looking for solutions, is it worrisome at all to you that it seems like some of them are pointing fingers in the other direction, saying the guys need to have less ego?
“Yeah, I don’t look at it as pointing fingers. I look at it as, once again, those guys using the media as an opportunity to get the messaging across the board. Now, look, you can also say it to that man face to face, but that’s how they feel.”
What about using social media? We’re all talking about Ja’Lynn Polk’s Instagram story. Have you it? What do you think about that? Did he seem upset after that game?
“I haven’t seen it. Look, Ja’Lynn right now is frustrated. He’s not playing at the level that he would like to play. Again, though, he has to go through the fire. All right, we got to push through. We got to get through adversity before you end up being a good player. No matter what player you’re talking about, they’ve had runs like that in their career. You talk about the greatest of all time in Tom Brady. He’s had runs where it just didn’t go right. This is part of the process, is going through adversity and pushing through. And this is also an an opportunity for us as a team to ignore all the noise on the outside and really start to come together and put a good game together.”
“What I will say is we got to do a better job playing complementary football. Every game that we walk out of, one phase, at least one phase has had a good game. Now we just need the other two phases to step up their game. And every single game has been different, whether it’s special teams balling out now and defense not playing well, or offense balling out, putting up points, now special team. It’s complementary football that we’re not playing.”
Long flight back. I’m sure you looked at film. What did you see on the punt return?
“Yeah, I saw a punt that… Look, he’s been… Bryce [Baringer] has been a weapon for us the entire year as far as flipping the field. One thing I would say is if you punt the ball right down the middle of the field, it puts a lot of stress on everyone else, and that’s what happened.”
When you start to think of complementary football, I remember as a player, I think the one thing that I think is the most important is, forget about soft, but being mentally tough during times that are adverse. Do you look at your team and look at your coaches and say, ‘Okay, we got to make sure that these guys understand mental toughness is going to get us back to where we want to be when it’s all three phases playing well, it’s not the stupid pre-snap penalties.’ Do you feel like that’s something that guys need to take more pride in and just being mentally tough?
“These guys have pride, and I tell them all the time, hard work works, and that’s what we have to do. We’ll correct the film today, the players will be off tomorrow. And then Wednesday, it’s back in full pads to go out there and get better.”
There’s several powerful prognosticators out there. Michael Lombardi has been very outspoken about this show, this team this year. Last week when you said, ‘I don’t know about why the team’s roster was where it was,’ he took it as Bill Belichick bashing, and he says that, ‘Why are the Patriots rebuilding when the Washington Commanders are five and two?’ Other teams have turned around rosters quicker. This team is just making excuses.’
“I’m not making any excuse. I think it all falls on me, and I’m okay saying that.”
You’re the head coach of this football team. Were you comfortable, excited about the roster heading into the season? Did you think that you, as an organization, you had done everything that you could do to get this roster where it needed to be?
“Look, as an organization, we’re always trying to bring in good players, whether it’s through free agency, through the draft, through all those things. At the same time, it takes time to do that stuff. And there’s no shot to anyone else. Ultimately, me and Eliot, we’re responsible for the roster and for what we put out there on the field.”
When you say that after all these losses, you guys walk off the field in at least one phase of the game, played pretty well, what was that yesterday? Who do you think played well yesterday?
“I thought the offense, especially to start the game, definitely played well. I would say our pass protection at times looked a lot better than it has throughout the season. Now, in saying that, we couldn’t run the ball. So it’s almost like a puzzle trying to put all this stuff together. But again, that’s what we’re going through. And it’s tough. It’s tough to win this league, and we just have to continue to chip at the rock.”
One of the things that I know it would be difficult for me, we all come from different generations of players. I know you want these guys to have the ability to have their own voice, but how do you get them to not really use social media as an avenue for them to maybe have expressed their disappointment because then it gets fans and people in the media getting to trying to read into what they’re saying. How is that like for you as a player to have to… Or not a player, as a coach who played in an era that really didn’t have that, to try to be able to balance the two of, ‘All right, I get you’re using social media, but try to use it for something a little bit more positive.’ You know what I’m trying to get at?
“I kind of do. What I would say is, Don’t put me in your generation. We had social media when I was playing. We definitely had social media.”
All right, well, maybe my generation.
“But in saying that, I would say, Look, that’s their personal platform. Now, would you like them to use it productively all the time. 100 %. I’m not going to sit there and say, ‘Well, you can’t throw a peace. He says a peace sign and eyeballs. That’s where the media and the fans just look into it and everyone’s trying to figure it out. And the only one person knows what that actually means. So maybe you should ask him.”
I don’t know, you have social media.
But it’s not social media. It’s really the message. I mean, the message is the message of you can correct the record because he’s your player. You talk to him. Ja’Lynn Polk does not seem happy. He’s a guy, you commented on him being mentally ready to go.
“And what was the whole comment I made on that?”
That he needs to …
“He wasn’t mentally ready to go. I do think he’s going to be a good football player in this league. But right now, we have not seen the final evolution of Ja’lynn Polk.”
Okay, you gave me a hold on.
“You give me one.”
But just to finish my question. Then he goes and says, ‘I have the best hands in the NFL. And then he turns around after a disappointing effort. I think he probably was disappointed in himself yesterday and posted something on social media. That appears to us to be how the player feels.
“If you put that out there that you have the best hands in the league, you have to go out there and do it. And so, again, everything will be solved with a win. It’ll all be solved with a win. That’s how I kind of look at it.”
That’s how you look at it?
“If you want to go out there and say, ‘I’m the best corner in the league.’ ‘I’m the best receiver.’ You said it. Now you got to prove it every single week. I’ve been around players that have said that in the past and have been great players. And they say something, they got to go out there and prove it every single week. That’s the beauty of the sport.”
I think that some of this comes from Eliot Wolf in February saying, ‘We’re going to have less of a hard ass vibe around here.’ I think people, some, look and go, ‘All right, that’s a different approach when it comes to this organization.’ That’s, I think, what your approach is. And they go, ‘All right, is Jerod Mayo too much of a friend and not enough of a boss?’
“It’s not about being a friend. For me, I’m the head coach of the team, and I understood that. When I got into coaching in ’19, I learned that, where I played with the guy, in Dont’a Hightower, and then had to coach him. I played with a guy in Jamie Collins, and had to coach him. And there was a day, it was like an instant where you’re like, ‘Man, I’m a linebacker coach. I’m not your friend.’, It’s the exact same thing right now. I’m the head coach of the football team, and my job is to get these guys better and develop them to go out there and win games.”
“That’s what it comes down to. And I understand that. It’s not about being hard. It’s not about being soft. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about going out there, hitting the targets, playing with good fundamentals, and playing good football. And look, everyone else, they can to read into whatever they want to read into. We need to win football games. Not only now, we need to build for the future as well. And that’s the main objective.”
I know you don’t want to control what your guys are saying, but when it’s week after week and you’re not playing with pride, people have to check their egos. Some of the defense, it seems like they’re only playing for themselves. Selfish play. Does it get to a point where you say to these guys, ‘Hey, if you guys keep putting this out there, this is all the media is going to be talking about.’ Do you have those conversations with them? Because when you’re losing games over and over again, it creates a scene, which may not be true, but it gives us a look into the locker room that doesn’t look right.
“Yeah, I’ve had those conversations with a couple of the players where they say that’s not what I meant. And I’ve said things and in pressers where it’s not what I meant. Like, going back to even yesterday that ‘we have a soft team.’ No, we’re playing soft. And so I’m not going to try to control their lives or anything like that. Those guys know if you put something out there, you’re responsible for it, and it’s out there forever.”
But I think the Ja’lynn Polk thing is about accountability from my perspective, where if you stink or you’re good, then it’s okay as long as you have a mirror you’re looking into and you’re knowing that you can get better or you’re doing your job. And Ja’lynn Polk, on the field, he’s a rookie. It’s early. He hasn’t been doing his job. And all I hear from him on social media or in the press is everybody else is talked about except his own failings on the field. And I don’t know how you get better if you don’t accept there’s a problem in the first place.
“I think he does accept that there is a problem. He’s putting in the extra work before practice, after practice. At some point in time, it hits an inflection point where something clicks and he becomes a good player. What I will say is I hope the team, us sitting here at one and six, they see me. I’m doing all these interviews. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. And being able to deal with adversity, it’s hard to lead at one and six. It’s easy at six and one. And for me, it’s in my fabric. It’s in my DNA to keep pushing forward. And I think the guys hopefully see this. I’m not sure if they tune into this show, but maybe they do.”
They should.
For Wiggy.
Do you think Ja’lynn Polk is maybe putting too much pressure on himself? I know as a former receiver, sometimes if you get in the zone where you’re putting all this pressure, especially when it comes to catching the football, you might get in the zone of where you have the dropsies. Do you think he might be putting too much pressure on himself to want to be perfect, which could potentially be then leading to some of the drops?
“Putting pressure on yourself is how we got here. Even you as a player, putting pressure on yourself is how you got to the league. And look, again, everyone has to deal with pressure in their own way. And look, it’s going to turn. I wish I could give you a date or a time or a year of when it’s going to turn for him. But again, he’ll be a very good player in this league.”
All right. Time for the Hellmann’s Mayo Question of the Week for Jerod Mayo. You can purchase Hellmann’sgame-day at your local Walmart or grocery store to add extra deliciousness and creamy flavor to your game day dishes this football season. From a texter, they want to know, and you may not have an opinion either way, prefer London or Germany when it comes to playing overseas?
“Yeah, that’s a tough one. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. Again, the attitude is any time, any place, anywhere. So ask me when we go to Brazil or something.”
Well, the surface looked good. The grass looked good out there, at least.
It was slick. It was slippery, huh?
“You said it looked good. You said it looked slick. This right here is a microcosm of where all the stories…”
Well, you tell us how was it?
“No, you have your opinion…”
I played at Riverside School.
“You guys have your opinions on this. Everyone had on seven studs.”
Everybody’s an expert, until they have to do it.
“That’s right.”
All right, Jerod Mayo. Well, thank you.
“Appreciate you 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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