Patriots HC Jerod Mayo

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

November 22, 2024

 

JM: Good morning. Look, we talked about it last week, it’s about Focus Friday. Today is about execution. It’s about making sure that we tighten up all the bolts and get ready to play a good game down in Miami.

 

Q: Jerod, when you opened up on Wednesday, you talked about how Miami’s team is different with Tua [Tagovailoa] in there. How is this team different with Drake [Maye] playing this time?

 

JM: Yeah, I would say, first of all, he’s playing well for us, and he’s learning from his mistakes. I would say the offense over the last few weeks has definitely performed better. We look forward to that progress down in Miami.

 

Q: We spoke with Alex [Van Pelt] yesterday. I’m curious on your guys’ conversations about personnel groups. Do you guys have conversations about who can go where, if there are any special packages?

 

JM: All the time. I knew this question was coming. Look, the primary focus for us this year was to get Marcus [Jones] healthy and to get Marcus ready to go as a cornerback and a punt returner. That was the primary goal. That was our focus. I mean, how much time do we want to spend on gadget plays? He’s most valuable on the defensive side of the ball and punt return.

 

Q: In hindsight, should someone have mentioned to AVP, ‘hey, this guy does have this ability, maybe we can go back and watch his 5 games in 2022?’

 

JM: To me, everyone in this building, everyone knows what he can do with the ball in his hands. I mean, we see those things. Again, I would say the primary focus was for him to play corner.

 

Q: We haven’t seen Deatrich [Wise Jr.] out there at all. Do you have any update on his status? What’s going on with him?

 

JM: I’m not getting into too many specifics as far as Deatrich, but we’ll see what it’s like today at practice. He’s been a valuable piece of the defense. Hopefully he’s there.

 

Q: What have you seen the last couple of days from Cole [Strange], and do you expect to activate him for this game?

 

JM: Yeah. Cole has really just been out there doing the individual drills and conditioning. I will say he looks good. We ran some cross fields the other day and he was out front, so he’s definitely in shape. Maybe it’s the fresh legs, I don’t know. It’s exciting to have him out there.

 

Q: How has Joe Milton [III] done with his responsibilities this year? I imagine he’s done a lot of scout-team work, but just overall?

 

JM: You talk about a guy who is developing at a pretty good rate, it’s Joe. We all know he can throw the ball down the field, but his progressions and things like that have definitely gotten better, and he’ll be a solid player in this league.

 

Q: Has he taken a lot of the scout-team work?

 

JM: Yeah, he takes a lot of that work. He takes most of it, I would say.

 

Q: He talked last week about how he takes advantage of every rep he gets, both virtual and on the field, because he doesn’t get as many. Is that what you’re also seeing from him, when he does get those opportunities?

 

JM: Yeah, 100%. We always talk about trying to steal reps. Even when the starting offense is out there, he’s behind, still going through his progressions and his reads, so trying to steal reps that way.

 

Q: What has been your favorite Drake Maye play so far that you rewound a couple of times, whether impressed or just cool?

 

JM: I’ll probably get killed for saying this, but him making a tackle. Him making a tackle. You don’t want to see the turnovers, but you don’t usually see quarterbacks making a tackle.

 

Q: You said that the focus was on getting Marcus healthy and playing cornerback. What changed to make him play on offense?

 

JM: We’re a game plan team, we change up quite frequently and that just happened to be one of those packages for that game.

 

Q: We know that he reached out to Alex about getting himself on the offensive side of the ball. Has he ever talked to you about that?

 

JM: We always have conversations about everyone on the field. Like I said earlier, everyone knows what he can do with the ball in his hands.

 

Q: It was reported yesterday that Robert Kraft has been passed over to be in the Hall of Fame this year. Just curious for your thoughts on that and his candidacy?

 

JM: I don’t know how that process works, but I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving than Robert Kraft to be in the Hall of Fame.

 

Q: Following up to Doug’s question, Vince Wilfork was named a semifinalist. He’s one of, I guess, a handful of semifinalists; he’s still got to go through the progression. But what was it like getting a chance to play with him, and I guess I’m curious about your thoughts about his football journey.

 

JM: When I came into the league in 2008 and I was Rookie of the Year, it was all because of those guys up front. It started with Vince at the nose. Honestly, for a defensive lineman, he was a dominant player. Sometimes the stats don’t do it justice, but he was a dominant player for a very long time. I hope he gets in. I don’t have a vote, but I hope he gets in.

 

Q: You’ve been talking this week or over the weeks about how practice has gone. How do you feel like practice did go for this Wednesday versus previous?

 

JM: Yeah, practice is going well. Look, I would say Wednesday, we had a couple of plays that didn’t look too good, but they tightened it up on Thursday when we recapped the Wednesday stuff. Today is about tying it all together. Early down, third down, red area, and we’re looking forward to having a good practice.

 

Q: We were talking about Joe Milton earlier. I think there was something out of the Giants where Daniel Jones was playing scout team safety for them. Ben DiNucci, a former quarterback, tweeted how he played scout team safety a lot. Do you ask some of your quarterbacks or offensive players to ever play scout team on the other side of the ball?

 

JM: Yeah, sometimes due to just numbers alone. I’ve never had a quarterback or seen a quarterback play safety, but due to numbers, sometimes you may have a corner that has to play receiver or a receiver that has to play scout team corner, but nothing as dramatic as a quarterback at safety.

 

Q: In terms of Joe playing scout team, it seems like the league’s kind of evolved into more of a running-quarterback system. Does that really help to have someone who’s a little younger, who’s more athletic, who can play that scout team role to prepare for these guys?

 

JM: I’ve talked about this before. Being able to have a guy who can run with the ball and do all those things is definitely beneficial. In saying that, we also play quarterbacks – not as much as we used to – that just sit in the pocket, but he’s able to do that as well. So, I think just that versatility, that growth and development in doing that and emulating the other quarterback has been good for him.

 

Q: How is he when it comes to throwing with his left hand?

 

JM: No, we don’t go that far with it.

 

Q: When it comes to the scout team stuff, when you play a team like Miami, how do you try to simulate that speed and the motion that they use and stuff like that?

 

JM: You line a guy like Tyreek Hill – whoever’s playing Tyreek Hill, you get your fastest player and then you move him up 2 yards. So, he’s really offside, but that’s how you kind of simulate that stuff. That’s how we do it.

 

Q: I think Christian Gonzalez was talking yesterday about how on Fridays, sometimes the defensive backs will go up against each other, like wide receiver on cornerback. What do you see out of that? What’s the benefit of that?

 

JM: It’s just one of those things that’s been a tradition here for a long time. On Friday practices, we take a couple minutes. All the time, corners can play receiver, receivers can play corner, linebackers can play tight end, tight ends can play linebacker. So, it’s just something that we’ve done here historically.

 

Q: How were you as a tight end?

 

JM: Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. I played running back in high school though, 10 yards a carry. I was pretty good at that.

 

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