Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday, November 11, 2024.
Jerod Mayo: “It was good to go out there and get the win. And I thought the guys really went out there and played well. As a coach, sometimes it’s all about just giving those guys the opportunity, and they went out there and seized that opportunity and controlled the game.”
Greg Hill: “Compliment earlier this morning on this show from Boomer Esiason who said, It seemed like you guys put together the perfect game plan for this one.”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah. So shout out to the coordinators. The coordinators, they work hard. And I would say the position coaches, the assistant coaches, they all put a lot of hours in. It doesn’t always culminate to win. But as I’ve always said, we try to get better each and every week. And that’s not only for the players, but also the coaches.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “Jerod, one of the things that really stood out yesterday, obviously, the ability to get to the quarterback and get sacks, but the ability to not have any off-script plays where Caleb Williams has done a good job of that this season, but making sure there were none of those that ultimately led to big plays.”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah, those off-script players are always difficult to handle. To have an athletic a quarterback like Caleb, who I do, I said it’s after the game, I think he’s going to be a very special player in this league. But to be able to contain him and keep him in the pocket was definitely a challenge. That was one of the targets this week, and the guys hit it.”
Courtney Cox: “Jerod, it did seem like Drake and [Kayshon] Boutte have become this kind of tandem, t,heir connection is really growing. So for you, have you seen that during practice? Or how has that grown? And where do you see that going?”
Jerod Mayo: “I would say with all the receivers, that connection continues to grow. You have to remember, it’s only been, I mean, how many weeks has Drake really started? So you’ll continue to see that progress amongst all those guys. But Boutte has done a good job for us, and he’s definitely been one of those guys that has grown from last year to this year, and it’s exciting to see.”
Chris Curtis: “Drake has obviously taken more of a vocal leadership role. We heard about that after the game, about addressing the team. It seems to me from afar that as Drake has assumed the leadership role in the offense, there’s been less squawking by those on it.”
Jerod Mayo: “He’s addressed the team?”
Chris Curtis: “That’s what they said on the broadcast yesterday.”
Greg Hill: “They said this week he was frustrated or didn’t think things were going the way it should have gone practice-wise and asked if he could talk to the offense. Is that not an accurate reporting?”
Jerod Mayo: “No, he said the team. I’m just trying to figure it out.”
Chris Curtis: “Oh, the offense. Sorry. The offense itself. Is there a correlation between Drake’s leadership role and guys on the offense taking ownership of their specific roles without talking about others?”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah, they all have to be accountable. That’s part of his evolution, and he’s doing a good job.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “Jerod, one of the things that we saw, obviously, we saw some pressures from your second level, your linebackers as your cornerbacks, safeties, that type of thing. Was that something that you guys were going in with a game plan to kind of confuse Caleb Williams to have him see a lot of guys, and then at times you were bringing those guys. Is that something that was part of your game plan heading into it?”
Jerod Mayo: “100%. And again, he’s a very athletic guy. So our second and third-level players are faster guys. In saying that, I would say our first-level guys did a good job really collapsing the pocket.”
Greg Hill: “Speaking of Drake, you look at the interception, just clearly didn’t see [T.J.] Edwards there?”
Jerod Mayo: “It was a bad play. It was a poor play. You got to throw that ball away and keep us going.”
Courtney Cox: “Back to Curtis’s question with the squawking. And obviously there was a lot of guys that were talking in front of the media and saying certain things about what was going on.”
“But it does seem like it’s quieted down. Guys aren’t really talking to media or saying disagreements that are happening behind closed doors. Is that something that’s come from you down, or is it just because you guys have gotten a few wins that guys have been happier?
Jerod Mayo: “I wouldn’t say there were disagreements. I would say all these guys are competitors and want to win games, and those are all symptoms of losing when you start to hear griping or gripes. Is it gripes or griping?”
Greg Hill: “Griping. Both. You said this week you needed to get the run game going, and it seemed like you did?”
Jerod Mayo: “Oh, absolutely. We got the run game going, and I would say defensively, we were able to control the line of scrimmage and stop them from really running the ball. I think what did they average, maybe under 4 yards a carry? I thought it was good. We handled the down guys, and I was impressed by that.”
Chris Curtis: “I’ve done a lot of critique of the offense the first half of the season. I thought yesterday, first and second down were huge. You had 10 of your 14 third downs were less than five yards or five yards or less. What about the game plan from [Alex] Van Pelt and how you guys were able to be more successful?”
Jerod Mayo: It was all about first down, and I challenged those guys to what was really focused on first down, because when you look at the game prior, it was a lot of second and 12, second and 11, second and 14, 15, 16, all the way up to second and 20. If we’re able to stay ahead of the sticks, then that gives us a better opportunity to get in those third and three situations where, with our backs, they still have to be able to take care of the run game.”
Courtney Cox: “We were talking about Rhamondre Stevenson earlier this morning, too. He looked awesome yesterday, and we were wondering, is it like he’s gotten healthier or is it just things have been clicking for him?”
Jerod Mayo: “Just as in the past, when he hasn’t gotten going, I would say it starts up front with the offensive line. I’m going to say the exact same thing here where he plays well and it starts up front with the offensive line.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “One of the things that you talked about are certain guys, whether it’s griping. The thing that I kind of take away, I obviously am not in that locker room, But I look at this, especially in the wide receiver room or just in the passing game. Every guy has a legitimate opportunity because there’s no clear cut number one. So if you perform and practice in games and you produce, I feel like you’re going to get opportunities. Is that what the message to these guys is?”
Jerod Mayo: “100 %. It’s always been about competition. I said that all the way back in the training camp. It’s about competition and who has that better week of practice and who has that better week in the walkthroughs and the meeting rooms, and that’s what it is.”
Greg Hill: “Looked like you wanted a roughing the passer call at the end of the third.”
Jerod Mayo: “I did. But when you look at it, it probably was the better call to pick it up.”
Greg Hill: “Oh, [Laughs].”
Jerod Mayo: “But seriously, when you’re in the game, that’s part of it. You always ask me, What do you learn as a head coach? Well, sometimes yelling at the referee works, and most of the time, they’re right.”
Greg Hill: “What have you learned? I mean, we’re halfway into the season. If you looked at things that maybe you didn’t expect that you would have learned by this point?”
Jerod Mayo: “Every week is its own unique week. I haven’t had time because we haven’t had a bye week yet, and we still don’t have a bye week anytime soon. I haven’t had the time to take a breather and really reflect fully on what has happened up to this point in the season. But every week is its own week.”
Greg Hill: Is it hard? You always hear about time management and how many other things go into this job besides coaching. Has that been tough to adapt to? Travel, what the guys are doing, all that?”
Jerod Mayo: “The travel part of it, this isn’t basketball. I just saw, I think Golden State’s on the road for like 12 days. We travel one day a week, if that. And a lot of these are home games, so the travel part is not it. I would say as far as just time management, it’s all about football for me, which is exciting. I love to do it, and I don’t really look at things in time. I look at it as energy. Where do I want to put my energy? It’s not about time. I’m going to be here until 1:00 in the morning, 12:00 at night anyway. So it’s where I focus my energy.”
Chris Curtis: “We’ve been talking earlier about possible games overseas. There’s a game in Ireland. I guess Roger Goodell mentioned yesterday, next year, Patriots would be rumored about possibly playing there. Do you think there’s ever a chance that the NFL would have a team based in Europe, or do you think that that could never get done?”
Jerod Mayo: “I don’t want to say never. The game is growing exponentially. The people watching the game, men, women, different countries, it’s a very exciting game, and I don’t want to say never.”
Greg Hill: “Time now for the Hellmann’s Mayo question of the week. You can purchase Hellmann’s at your local Walmart or grocery to add extra deliciousness and creamy flavor to your game day dishes this football season. At one point, I think you guaranteed over four wins for this football team on this show. I know you’re a goal setter. Did you go into this season for yourself, setting a goal when it came to wins?”
Jerod Mayo: “No. For me, it was as the season continued to progress that we are that team that no one wants to play at the end of the season. It was about getting better. I knew there would be bumps along the road, and I think everyone knew that, at least inside the building. You guys probably didn’t. Last time I was in here, Wiggy told me the rosters that he thought our roster was better than, and he named all, you know. Kansas City and Cincy.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “I said Washington. I said Washington.”
Greg Hill: [inaudible]
Jerod Mayo: “He said Chicago.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “I said Chicago.”
Jerod Mayo: “Chicago.”
Greg Hill: “Yeah, he did say Chicago.”
Jerod Mayo: “But that was going into the season. And again-”
Jermaine Wiggins: “And you beat Chicago.”
Chris Curtis: “Dominated.”
Greg Hill: “Yeah, but if you were to go back, and this is the… It’s funny to me at this point, because I’ve also worked in the media where you guys have to guess on all these things. If you went back, what you guys… How many more hours are you guys on the show? You should go back, look at Chicago’s roster at the beginning, how you felt about that roster and our roster, and just do it side by side.”
Chris Curtis: “I know you’re not going to say it.”
Jerod Mayo: “Just like I told you, Cap, earlier. But again, I would say we got a room full of guys that want to get better, guys that are hungry, and I appreciate that.”
Chris Curtis: “I know you’re not going to say it, but-”
Jerod Mayo: “I still don’t say it.”
Chris Curtis: “It’s my pleasure. It It took you four fewer weeks to get to three wins than it did your predecessor last year. Well done. Three and seven. Bill was two and eight. You’re dominating.”
Greg Hill: “Curtis is obsessed.”
Jerod Mayo: “I know.”
Greg Hill: “You can tell.”
Chris Curtis: “Hey, somebody’s got to support the guy. Everybody else here craps on Mayo all the time.”
Jerod Mayo: “It’s fine, though. Look, it’s part of the job. You can crap on me or we could be undefeated. You can still crap on me. I mean, that’s part of the business.”
Chris Curtis: “You’re ahead of the curve with the greatest coach of all time. It’s a good start.”
Greg Hill: “How often do you talk to Thunder?”
Jerod Mayo: “Thunder? That’s Kraft. That’s Mr. Kraft.”
Greg Hill: “Every week, you talk to him?”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah, every day.”
Greg Hill: “So he’s every day?”
Jerod Mayo: “Every day.”
Greg Hill: “Every day.”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah, every day. I will say this, and I’ve said this before, I’m appreciative of the opportunity to let me deal with the football stuff. But look, he’s managed people, he’s led people, he continues to lead people. And any time I have a question about that, about situations, it’s not always unique to sports. It’s about relationships. He’s a great resource.”
Courtney Cox: “Does it I feel like when you guys look ahead to the rest of the season, we have to because it’s media, but for you, do you feel like you guys could be a playoff team? Seven games left?”
Jerod Mayo: “For us, it’s about week after week after week getting to 1-0. And I think if we do that, get to 1-0 every week, then we’ll be able to look back and wherever we are, we are.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “How do you make sure? Because I think it was Keion White who said it after the game. There were some younger… Got a lot of young guys on this team. How do you make sure that the younger players, especially, focus in, like you said, it’s week to week, but it’s play to play, it’s practice to practice. How do you make sure that they understand that and buy into that because it’s completely different than what they’re used to?”
Jerod Mayo: “Yeah, I lean heavily on the captains. And I would also say I lean heavily on guys that have played a lot. My message is always one thing to the team, but it’s the captains and the leadership group on the team to really disseminate that message to the young guys and continue to be that day after day, play after play voice for them. It’s one thing to hear something from your parents. Your parents tell you not to do something. It’s different when your brother or your sister tells you you shouldn’t do it. But I do think just those multiple touch points, keep them in mind.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “It’s interesting because you bring that up, and we have this conversation all the time. Even though you’re a former player, do they really look at that element of it, or is it like where, ‘All right, our coach played, but he’s the coach?’ You know what I’m saying? Is it that weird balance that you’re trying to always kind of balance on? Do you feel like they sometimes see you as the former player, or do they always see you as the coach, where it’s always the parent, not the friend?”
Jerod Mayo: “That’s a great question. I know you guys have players on this station, so that’s a better question for them. What I would say as a player for me, no matter what level, I’ve always held the head coach and even the coordinators, it was always like a reverence there. You know what I mean? It was always like, especially there was a point in time where single-parent home for my stepdad and all that stuff. My grandparents would do the best job. My grandfather would do his best job, but where the head coach almost was like a father figure, especially younger. For all the young people listening to this, if you have a good coach, there’s nothing better than that. It’s not about when I see youth football and people drawing up double reverse crack plays and all that stuff, that’s not what it’s about at that level. I say this sport definitely teaches you how to deal with adversity. It teaches you how to be able to push through. It teaches you how to ignore all the stuff going on around you. Obviously, at this level right here, there’s a bunch of noise. I would say the guys in our locker room, they are younger guys, and they’re also still developing as men. I think it’s very easy for us to really forget about them as people. And my message to them has always been, I care about you more as a person and all the staff, I care about the men and women in there more as people than I do football players or chief or staff, whatever it is.”
Greg Hill: “Speaking of parents, I’m guessing your mom didn’t have much to criticize this week?”
Jerod Mayo: “My mom, it’s weird. I hope, once again, I’ll use this platform to talk to my mom. Now, we lose a game. She doesn’t even call me anymore.”
Greg Hill: “You’re hoping for a phone call, at least.”
Jerod Mayo: “I am hoping for a phone call. I will say that she sends a text all the time. It’s no philosophical things or development things. Last week, she talked about… She sent me a text on having a beginner’s mind because the expert mind sometimes isn’t as malleable, isn’t as open to criticism or as open to growing and changing. Having that beginner’s mindset. That’s for the people. Yeah.”
Jermaine Wiggins: “That’s a good nugget right there.”
Greg Hill: “Great note to end on. All right. Thanks, Jerod.”
(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.
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