Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had to say following the club’s 34-15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday:
EDITOR’S NOTE: Portions of this press conference were omitted in the beginning due to the broadcast cutting in late:
OPENING STATEMENT:
” … Look, my message to the team was, ‘Look, this is the NFL. It just wasn’t good enough.’ First quarter, zero points across the board, and then give up 24 points in the second quarter definitely is a hard pill to swallow. And then look, we saw some fight at the end, which is encouraging, but at the same time, this game, you got every single play, every single play counts. I thought we gave up too many big plays defensively, did a better job in the run game. Gave up too many big plays, tackling, scheme, whatever you want to call it, just overall, execution defensively just wasn’t good enough.”
“On offense, they did some good things, but anytime you lose a turnover battle, it’s always going to be a tough game. Then special teams, we just got to continue to improve on that.”
“Sorry, last thing for me. The last thing I told the guys, ‘It’s all about us,’ and this is before the game. I said, ‘It’s about us. It’s not about anybody else. It’s about us and to make a commitment to one another.’ That’s what the game really came down to. It’s us going out there, kicking ourselves in the butt or stomping our toe against the wall because of penalties. We don’t have a team…. I don’t think any team wants to go backwards in any cause, but we did that today.”
On if he got a sense this week that something was off, or if the team had a bad week of practice:
“No, not at all. I thought the guys were locked in. We just didn’t walk away with a win. ”
On the coverage breakdowns, which we’re not used to seeing from this team historically, and what the cause of that was:
“Historically or even this season. Just a lack of communication. A lack of communication.”
On the six pre-snap penalties in the first half, five on offense, one on defense, and how much of that is a reflection just on the coaching:
“Look, it starts with me. It starts with me. We’ve had these hiccups of games where the penalties really affected us, and it did today.”
On the first sustained drive in the first quarter, the two penalties, they went back and went conservative in the middle and then went for the field goal, and if he feels like things stalled out there:
“Yeah, to me, in the first quarter, you’re still trying to just get a vibe for the game, how they’re going to play us and how we’re going to play them and how they’re going to match our stuff. ”
On how concerned he is that this was a big spot for them, coming off a loss, division game, and they came out flat:
“Yeah, we came out flat. Look, it’s a long season, and it is a long season, and the guys, they recognize that. When you get the schedule early on, you got to see where the bye week is. And in saying that, look, no excuses from me, and hopefully no excuses from the players who just have to be better.”
On defensively, where do they go from here:
“For me, nowhere but up. A lot of that stuff, going back to the big plays, it starts there. The defensive line in the run game, I don’t think that was a problem this game. It was just the big plays.”
On how they get through to a guy who keeps making the same mistakes over and over again:
“I mean, that’s why we’re coaches. We got to find a solution, whether that’s… You got to figure out what lever to pull to get a guy going. Sometimes, look, it could look good during the week, and then you get into the game, and it’s a surprise.”
On the fact they went on tempo just like they did in the first matchup and if that was them trying to stress their communication and if he would say that led to the breakdowns on defense:
“I wouldn’t say so much. Tempo is always difficult. Those guys come out with one-word plays, and we just have to… I felt like we were on the same page out on the field, if that’s what you’re talking about. ”
On the why they took out Demontrey Jacobs in favor of Sidy Sow (at right tackle):
“Yeah, he was having a tough game. Whether it’s penalties or blocking the edge, he was having a tough game. And we got to protect the quarterback as an offensive linemen. That’s what we do. We protect quarterbacks, and we got to open up holes for the backs.”
On the fact they took out Jacobs and not Lowe, and if there was a reason why they took out one but not the other:
“No. Not at all.”
On how helpful it was having Christian Gonzalez out there:
“We saw the injury report. He was dealing with something. He worked out before the game, and we thought he was ready to go.”
On the fact he said on Monday, ‘We have enough talent in that room to win the football games,’ and how does he justify that with falling behind 30 points:
“Yeah, it starts with me. I think it starts with me and getting these guys ready to go.”
On the fact there were some assignment breakdowns in the red zone:
“Absolutely.”
And what did he see on those plays that they did:
“It wasn’t a secret. They used motion and shifts and things like that to stress the communication, and we just weren’t on the same page.”
On early the game, first drive, fourth-and-1, on their own 39, any thoughts on going for it:
“The thought was there. Did what was best for the team.”
On the fact he said, “it starts with me,” but when do the players have to start looking at themselves and the fact he can only do so much, when is it on the players?
“Look, once those guys cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them. There’s nothing any coach can do for them once they cross the white line. It’s my job to continue to prepare not only them, but our coaches to go out here and better football.”
“Thanks.”
(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.
Bill Simmons criticized Mayo for “coaching scared” and his examples from yesterday early in the game were: 1) not going for a 4th and 1 on your own side of the field (39 yd line I believe), and (2) running on 3rd and 16 at the Miami 30 yd line to set up a FG for Slye. Hmmm…. that is a “drama narative in search of a crime”. What coach goes for 4th downs on their own side of the field early in the game ? ANSWER: it’s really rare. And what percentage of 3rd and 16’s get converted to… Read more »