Here’s the full transcript of New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s press conference for Monday, November 4, 2024:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Good morning, everyone. What I said last night, Leaving the field disappointed. Going back and watching the film and just seeing plays that were left out there on the field. I always say it’s not just one play. Everyone’s going to either be stuck on the interception at the end of the game or to go for it on two here, or not to go for it on two. Those are definitely those hindsight things that I oftentimes think about, but at the same time that we prepare for throughout the week and during the flow of the game. Obviously, I’m very proud of the way the locker room has stuck together. It was a battle. Anytime you go into overtime on the road like that, it takes a lot. I would say it takes a lot, especially when you lose the game. And proud of the way the guys showed some toughness. Unfortunately, weren’t able to walk away with the win.”
On the decision to switch up the offensive line to start the game this week:
“I thought that was the best thing to do for the team. Look, they have a good front. ’98 definitely is a problem. I thought that was just the best thing to do for our offense.”
On why they chose the direction they did in overtime with the decision to kick into the wind:
“Yeah. At the time, I would say the wind had changed. So the wind had changed from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. So that’s what happened.”
On his evaluation of Drake Maye, and how he makes corrections but also makes sure he’s in a good place moving forward:
“I feel like Drake has been coached hard his entire life and started in the household with his brothers and his parents. Even in Carolina, he’s been coached hard, and we coach him hard here just like we coach everyone else. In saying that, I think you hit it on the head. There will be growing pains as part of being a rookie, regardless of position.”
On where he thinks Maye is at at this point, and if this is where he envisioned Maye would be, with days where there would be positives and negatives:
“I think that’s for all rookies that there are going to be ups and downs. As we said earlier in the season, you just look for progress for guys to get better every single week.”
On the two point decision, and the fact he mentioned hindsight, why he might look at it and say, ‘Well, maybe we should have done the other?’
“Because we lost the game. It’s that simple because we lost the game. You go back earlier in the season, we went for two, we didn’t get it. You get criticized, and then you kick the field goal here and you get criticized. So I’m always going to do what I think is best for the team. And I think we can talk about analytics and all those things, which we do use those things. But at the same time, there’s also a flow to the game. And as a head coach, ultimately, the decision and the consequence lays on me.”
On if he felt there was a fatigue factor and if that weighed into it at all:
“Yeah, there are multiple factors that went into it. Again, I just did what I thought was best for the team.”
On the fact that after Pop Douglas made that catch on the sidelines, it looked like K.J. Osborne was so hyped up for him, and what it was like to have a player who was a healthy scratch but was still just as involved in the game:
“I grabbed him after the game and told him how much I appreciated his energy. A guy like that, it’s all about the team. It’s not about him as an individual, and we need more people like him.”
On what went into the decision as well to have him be a healthy scratch yesterday:
“Yeah, look, I’m always going to, and I would say myself, along with the coaching staff, we’ll always do and put the players out there that we think are going to help us win that game.”
On the fact Mike Onwenu has moved back and forth a bit, but if his best spot is at right guard, whether there would there be any consideration to moving Layden Robinson over to the left:
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s part of the conversations that we’ll have today and tomorrow. Again, whatever that combination looks like, I’m not sure right now, but we always do what’s best for the team.”
On why the screen plays have not been very effective and what the problem might be there:
“I would say throughout the season, our screens have definitely not given us the yardage that we all hope it will give us. This is something that we have to continue to work on. I would say it’s all about timing. Screens are all about timing. When the screen is called, making it look like something… It’s a lot of factors that go into executing a screen. It’s a hard play to execute, and we just have to continue to practice.”
On his thoughts on the fact Maye showed toughness and resilience yesterday, and was very authentic in everything he said after the game about losing despite playing well:
“Yeah. Let’s start with just his personality. I think I’ve said this before, just this even keel approach to everything. In saying that, I’m excited for him. I’m excited for a lot of our young guys. I would say just as a group, those guys have to just continue to go through the ups and downs together, and hopefully it builds resilience amongst the team. But in regards to Drake, I’m excited to see his continued growth.”
On the fact he said about a month ago that he felt better about the chances of Christian Barmore playing this season, and if he has cleared any of those extra hurdles he was talking about back then, and whether or not he thinks there’s any chance he could start practicing relatively soon:
“We’re getting close.”
On the fact it’s been three straight weeks where the running backs haven’t been able to get moving and if there’s any commonalities he’s seeing in the inability to run the football.
“Starts up front.”
“Appreciate it, 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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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.
