Patriots HC Jerod Mayo
PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
November 4, 2024
JM: Good morning, everyone. Kind of like 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, 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. Proud of the way the guys showed some toughness. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk away with the win.
Q: Morning, Jerod. What went into deciding to switch the offensive line once again to start the game this week?
JM: I thought that was the best thing to do for the team. Look, they have a good front. #98 [Jeffrey Simmons] definitely is a problem. I thought that was just the best thing to do for our offense.
Q: And then I’m wondering why you chose the direction you did in overtime? Drake [Maye] mentioned after the game that the throw died a little bit in the wind there. Clearly, guys decided to kick into the into the wind.
JM: Yeah. The wind at the time, I would say the wind had changed. The wind had changed from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. So that’s what happened.
Q: Jerod, hope all is well with you. On Drake’s performance, when you evaluate where things are at for him and see some of the promise, but also some of the growing issues that occur with a rookie quarterback, how do you evaluate that, and in making corrections, make sure that he’s in a good place moving forward?
JM: I feel like Drake has been coached hard his entire life. Started in the household with his brothers and parents. Even in Carolina being coached hard. 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 the position.
Q: Where do you think he’s at at this point? Is this what you what you envisioned in putting the plan in place, that there would be days like these where you see positives and negatives?
JM: 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.
Q: Hey, Jerod. Just wanted to go a little deeper on that two point decision. Obviously, these calls are not 100% one way or the other. It’s 51-49 a lot on the decision. You mentioned hindsight. In hindsight, why do you look at it and say, ‘well, maybe we should have done the other?’
JM: 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 you kick the field goal here, and you get criticized. I’m always going to do what I think is best for the team. I think we can talk about analytics and all those things, which we do use those things. At the same time, there’s also a flow to the game. As a head coach, ultimately, the decision and the consequence lays on me.
Q: Did you feel as if there was a fatigue factor, your team having been on the field for a while? I was thinking the fatigue factor would have been more on Tennessee at that point. They had to chase for 12 seconds on the touchdown play. Did that weigh into it at all?
JM: Yeah, there are multiple factors that went into it. Again, I just did what I thought was best for the team.
Q: Hi, Jerod. I was curious. After Pop Douglas made that catch on the sidelines, it looked like K.J. Osborn was so hyped up for him. What’s it like to have a player who was a healthy scratch but was still just as involved in the game? Just what do you see from K.J. on the sidelines in those moments?
JM: Yeah, 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.
Q: What went into the decision as well to have him be a healthy scratch yesterday?
JM: Yeah, look, I’m always going to – and I would say myself along with the coaching staff – we’ll always put the players out there that we think are going to help us win that game.
Q: Hi, Jerod. On the offensive line, I know Mike Onwenu’s been moved back and forth a bit, but if his best spot is at right guard, would there be any consideration to moving Layden Robinson over to the left?
JM: 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’ll always do what’s best for the team.
Q: Just wondering, from your standpoint, if you see it the same way like I see it because I feel like your screenplays have not been very effective. What might have been the problem there?
JM: Yeah, I would say throughout the season, our screens have definitely not given us the yardage that we all hoped they would give us. It’s something that we have to continue to work on. I would say it’s all about timing. Screens are all about timing. When a screen is called, making it look like something else. 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.
Q: A quick question on Maye. Obviously, with all the different things that you guys have that you want to install and instill this year, developing and finding a quarterback was going to be very, very high on the list. Can you look at Drake right now – and you had a question earlier about where is he relative to where you thought – but can you look at him right now and say, ‘I really feel like we’ve got kind of a special player here,’ in terms of not just his on-field performance, but his toughness and resilience in the way that he carries himself, too? I mean, after the loss yesterday, I thought he was very authentic in everything that he said and seemed to feel about losing, despite playing well.
JM: Yeah, let’s start with just his personality. I think I’ve said this before, just his even-keel approach to everything. In saying that, I’m excited. 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 regard to Drake, I’m excited to see his continued growth.
Q: Jerod, about a month ago, I think you said you felt better about the chances of Christian Barmore playing this season. Just wondering, has he cleared any of those extra hurdles you were talking about back then, and do you think there’s any chance he could start practicing relatively soon?
JM: We’re getting close.
Q: Jerod, I know there’s a million things that go into it, but it’s been three-straight weeks now where the running backs have not been able to get moving. What commonalities are you seeing in the inability to run the football?
JM: It starts up front.
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