Patriots QB Drake Maye and TE Hunter Henry

PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE AND TIGHT END HUNTER HENRY

PRESS CONFERENCE

December 24, 2024

 

HH: Merry Christmas to all you guys, and Merry Christmas to all of the Pats Nation. We appreciate all you guys, really. I know it’s been a hard year. It’s been hard on us, I know it’s been hard on y’all. We just wanted you to know that we appreciate you guys.

 

Q: Besides Drake, what’s the best Christmas gift you’ve ever gotten?

 

HH: Best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten? Oh man, that’s tough. I was a big jersey guy when I was young. I remember getting up and I got, I was a big basketball fan, I got a Shaquille O’Neal jersey when I was young. I just remember being pumped about the Shaquille O’Neal jersey.

 

Q: Was that from Santa or your parents?

 

HH: I think that was Santa. I think that was Santa. Yeah, they sprinkled in a few other ones, but yeah, I think Santa brought that one.

 

DM: For me, I’d probably say…

 

Q: Hunter?

 

DM: Yeah, other than Hunter, I’d probably say probably an electrical motorbike. I got an electric motorbike that I rode around the neighborhood.

 

Q: Drake, typically around this time of year, NFL quarterbacks will give their offensive linemen some sort of holiday gift. How are you approaching that as a rookie? Were you able to set anything up?

 

DM: Oh, for sure. You have to give those guys some love. All the hard work they put throughout the season. I got something for them coming up soon, and I’m looking forward to showing my appreciation for them, me and Jacoby [Brissett] both.

 

Q: Did Brock Purdy ruin it for everybody?

 

DM: Yeah, he was smart. I think it was a smart way to do it, and I think everybody has their own thing, so I think it was pretty cool what he did.

 

Q: What has Hunter meant to your development in your first year in the NFL?

 

DM: Yeah, he’s been huge. I think just as much on the field as off the field. I think we’re starting to see things the same on the field. I’m starting to see things before they happen, and it’s just awesome having one of the best tight ends in the league playing for the Patriots here in my first year. I think you’ve seen this season what he’s meant to this team. Every week he shows up. He shows up in the run game, shows up in the pass game, shows up in the huddle when I’m forgetting plays, and just little things after that. He means the world to this team, and we’ve got a lot of great veterans on this team.

 

Q: How do you maneuver this week as far as being able to enjoy the holidays and then play a Saturday game?

 

HH: Yeah, I mean, it’s just part of the job. Similar to Thanksgiving in a way. That’s part of football. You’ve got to navigate the holidays. I think a lot of us are used to, maybe not the young guys, but a lot of us are used to playing on these holidays or around these holidays. There’s still time to obviously spend with your family. Once you spend that time with your family, you’ve got to lock back in and remember kind of what the main thing is.

 

 

Q: I see it was your son’s birthday recently. Do you get double the presents now, right into Christmas?

 

HH: So, my birthday’s the 7th, my son’s the 9th. I grew up with the same thing. I was far enough from Christmas that you could separate the two. The two and a half week difference, you can separate the two. We keep things separate, keep a few gifts for that and then also Christmas.

 

Q: How important is it to know where Derwin James is and obviously what he’s capable of?

 

DM: Yeah, I’ll speak first and obviously Hunter played with him. He just pops off the film. He’s fast. He’s explosive in the run game. He makes TFLs. He makes plays on the football in the air. He’s a problem. We’ve got to know where he is at all times. They do a good job moving around, playing in different spots. We have a tough challenge with Derwin, and I’m looking forward to playing a player like that, that I used to grow up playing Madden with.

 

HH: Man, golly, Derwin, I could say so many things about Derwin. I’ll speak first, just as a guy. I always had so much respect for a guy like that, just as a person and just what he brought to the team as a leader. He brings so much juice and so much energy to a locker room and to a team. You can see that it jumps off the tape when you see how he plays, too. He just plays so hard, plays for his guys and just makes a lot of plays, man. He’s a top level safety in this league. I think he’s the best, really, in the league. He’s just got all the tools you want for safety. He can play in the box. He can play the run, play the pass. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s long. He’s got all the tools you want in a safety. To pair that with just what he brings to a locker room is just the perfect mold.

 

Q: Drake, I’m drawn to say one of your best attributes is your ability to learn from your mistakes. What have you learned, A., and what type of a growth mindset do you have to make sure that you’re in a position to make sure you are able to do that?

 

DM: Yeah, for sure. I think it’s been huge. I think Coach Mayo’s helped. I think AVP [Alex Van Pelt], T.C. [McCartney], even Jacoby throughout the game. Jacoby’s the best, during the game, ‘Hey, I’m thinking no sacks,’ or ‘Hey, protect the football,’ things like that. Jacoby’s been awesome. I think it’s something for me, each and every week, just to remember that experience and go on to the next week and store that in my memory bank and realize, ‘Hey, this is a time where sacks are no good,’ or, ‘Hey, second and long, just a check down may be good or second and short, get the first down,’ little things like that have been huge. At the same time, not to be too conservative. I think at times that we’ve got a lot of guys like Hunter who can go down the field and make plays for us, so still being able to challenge the ball down the field and make big explosive plays. I think that’s when we are at our best, when we can run the football, throw it to these guys, let them make yards after catch, and hit them deep. There’s a lot of different things where I think we can be good in this offense and I think you are seeing that.

 

Q: Drake, I know you want to be aggressive. At the same time, do you have to guard against perhaps trying to do too much, that maybe some of those turnovers are the result of you trying to do a little too much, trying to make a play?

 

DM: Yeah, I wouldn’t say that. I don’t think it’s really that I’m scrambling outside the pocket and heaving one up. I think it’s within the offense. I think some unfortunate things have happened with the turnovers, and I think some of them definitely fall on me. I think there’s definitely a way we need to cut down turnovers. That starts with me protecting the football and throwing it incomplete or throwing it in the dirt or little things like that. I’m still going to be aggressive. That’s the way I play and I think it’s in the long run going to be good for us.

 

Q: Drake, what do you see from Kayshon Boutte in terms of his growth, and are you developing a certain chemistry with him?

 

DM: Yes, sir. I think Boutte’s been making some big plays for us. I think my part is that I tell these guys every week, ‘I’m going to give you all chances,’ especially in man. I think we’ve got to be able to beat guys in man and I think Kayshon’s showing it every week, week in and week out. He’s starting to show it.  I’m proud of Boutte. He’s put the work in. I think it started in the first couple weeks when he was blocking the run game. He got the coach’s eye and now he’s making plays in the pass game.

 

Q: Drake, I know last week you talked about growing up watching Josh Allen. What do you respect about Justin Herbert’s game?

 

DM: Yes. Man, I used to ask Hunter about him, and they played together. First off, he seems like a great leader. I think you see that and you see a little bit of the same personality as me, more quiet and earn the guy’s respect. I think you see him coming out more and more, the stuff you see at the Chargers. He means a lot to that offense. You can see what he does making plays with his feet, but I think the biggest thing is he’s just consistent. He doesn’t turn the ball over and he just does a good job of moving the football and finding ways to win.

 

Q: Hunter, what would you tell him about Justin Herbert?

 

HH: I mean, Justin’s a stud, man. Everybody sees the stuff he does on the field. I think it’s been cool for me. I was there with him as a rookie and to just watch from afar, the growth that he’s had. I mean, he was killing it his rookie year, but just the growth that he’s continued to have. He has all the tools, strong arm and makes every throw. He’s mobile, he can extend plays, he can run. He just presents a lot of challenges for defense. He’s a special, special player. It’s always fun. He’s a high level competitor that loves to compete and loves to win and you got to love him going against a guy like that.

 

 

Transcripts are provided by the Patriots media relations department as a courtesy to the media and are edited for readability. All press conferences are posted and archived in their entirety on patriots.com. The duplication or posting of this transcript in its entirety as original content is prohibited. Media are encouraged to link to the complete transcript on patriots.com when sharing full quotes with their audiences.

 

Download Word Doc Here: Maye-Henry 122424