Patriots HC Jerod Mayo

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

December 20, 2024

 

JM: Good morning. Happy Friday. We turned the snow machine on to get ready for the game, but it’ll be good. We’ll be outside. It’ll be good to get out there in the elements. Look, today’s a huge red area day, and it’ll really just wrap up the rest of the week. We need a good practice today, and really go out there and perform the right way.

 

Q: Did you ask Mother Nature for this one today?

 

JM: Yeah, I said a prayer last night, ‘Give me a little bit of snow.’ It’s supposed to be cold, though, so it’ll be good.

 

Q: Saw the statement yesterday on Christian Barmore. What is your reaction to that?

 

JM: Yeah, I feel for Bar. He did everything right, and for those things to pop back up, just unfortunate. Again, I look at these guys as men first before football players, and there’s nothing more important than the health of our individuals.

 

Q: With him, is there any concern about him being able to play football in the future?

 

JM: We’re not having those conversations right now. It’s again just about getting him healthy now.

 

Q: On the transactional nature, you guys are at 51 players. I assume Caedan [Wallace] will probably, at some point, take one of those. Do you have any thoughts on what that might look like, 52, 53?

 

JM: Yeah, we have a pretty good idea of who we’re going to sign in those spots. Like I said, right now on Friday, it’s about the red area. It’s about tightening screws, and it’s about playing the team that’s playing the best in the NFL right now.

 

Q: With Alex Erickson, is the thought of signing him some depth at punt returner with Marcus [Jones] currently not practicing right now?

 

JM: Yes.

 

Q: There have been a couple times this season where you’ve had to clarify or amend previous comments. Are you comfortable with your messaging approach? Are you concerned at all with how that might come across?

 

JM: No, I’m not concerned. My main concern is the guys in the locker room on a day-after-day basis, the people that know me. Again, it’s all about this game here.

 

Q: Coach, Matt Milano is back for them now. How impactful is he on the game, and how much does he change things for you guys?

 

JM: Yeah, I’ve always said he has great instincts, is a good player, and helps those guys get lined up. He’s definitely a good player for them, and we’ll see how the game goes.

 

Q: Do you expect Marcus Jones to be out this weekend? I know we haven’t seen him in practice. Can you give any idea of the plan right now?

 

JM: Not at this moment. We’ll see how today and the next couple days go.

 

Q: So there’s still a chance he could play?

 

JM: Yes. Slight.

 

Q: Jerod, to the point about media messaging. We’ve been hanging out, speaking regularly for five, six months now. I’m just curious, any lesson that you’ve learned about, ‘this is a better or the best way to go about dealing with the media regularly?’

 

JM: No, honestly, I haven’t really thought about that. Again, I’m here all day thinking about football, and this week has been thinking about the Bills.

 

Q: Would you guys consider using the practice squad kicker, John Parker [Romo], over Joey Slye? He’s been a little inconsistent of the last three games. Will you stick with Slye?

 

JM: Joey Slye is our kicker right now.

 

Q: Defensively, we talked to DeMarcus [Covington] a little bit yesterday. What do you think on where the defense is right now in terms of, ‘what can we do better?’

 

JM: Yeah, we always say it’s about consistency. Everything is about consistency, but we have to go out there and play with good fundamentals and execute the game plan, and just get better in all three phases.

 

Q: Fundamentally, sometimes you hear, ‘You build the base in training camp to rely on it later in the year.’ Looking back on it, do you feel like you’ve built a good base, understanding that there’s been guys in and out?

 

JM: Yeah, for me, going back to training camp— not to go, you know, it’s all about the Bills— but going back to training camp, we had a tough training camp. Again, it just comes down to week after week, consistently going out there playing well.

 

Q: Antonio Gibson seems like he’s been a bright spot over the second half of the season here. He talked about a change in mentality at the midseason point. Did you talk to him at all about that, or how could that rub off on other players?

 

JM: I think he’s looked himself in the mirror and made the adjustments, and it’s paying off. It’s doing everything with intention, everything on purpose. That’s his mindset, and it’s helping him out and helping us out.

 

Q: We’ve asked you about Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker a lot this year. What do these two kids need to do over the last three weeks to try to finish it off?

 

JM: There’s nothing more important, besides the game, obviously, than practice. Really, it’s just going out there, going back to the word consistency, being a consistent player on the field. That’s what they have to do.

 

Q: Jerod, when it comes to Cole Strange, what’s the chances of you guys seeing him on the field before the season ends? How realistic is it for him to play center in a game after not really doing that at all yet in the NFL?

 

JM: Yeah, Cole has definitely battled his way back. I don’t want to say I’m sure, but hopefully we get to see him at some point. Now, we feel good about where we are up front, and that’s what we’re going to roll out there with.

 

Q: Is Caedan getting any closer to returning?

 

JM: He’s getting better every single day. I don’t want to put a timetable on it. I’m going to have to walk it back at some point.

 

Q: With Ben Brown, we saw a couple bad snaps. Do you think there was anything that led to those issues, because we haven’t seen that in the past from him? Anything to fix moving forward?

 

JM: Yeah, I mean, it was very out of character for a player who’s been very consistent for us. Again, we’ll have another opportunity this weekend to improve those things.

 

Q: Jerod, I know he’s had limited snaps due to injury, but Caedan, do you feel like you have a better sense of whether he can play left and right tackle, or might be better in just one position?

 

JM: No, we’re not – I don’t think I have a better sense in either spot. For me, it’s just about going out there, being healthy, and then we’ll evaluate him after that.

 

Q: We’ve talked about Joe [Milton III] being used to help preparing for those opposing quarterbacks. What is it this week that he has to do differently for Josh Allen, because that’s the guy who can run and can throw the ball?

 

JM: Yeah, I talked to the guys this morning. Look, Josh Allen is very dangerous when he’s on the sideline, when he’s close to the sideline and those extended plays. I’m not talking about on the bench. I’m talking those extended plays, because as much as you hear coaches always say, ‘Don’t throw the ball across the field,’ he can make all the throws no matter where he is on the field. We have to continue to play throughout the downs.

 

Q: Is he playing as well as any quarterback you’ve faced, either as a player or as a coach?

 

JM:  I mean, he’s up there. He’s up there.

 

Q: With the pass rush this season, I know talking to players, they’ve talked about playing from behind. They aren’t in the best situations to get to the passer at all times. Is that also what you see, just the fact that the pressure numbers are down, or is it something else?

 

JM: I mean, it depends on what game you watch. Look, for this game here, which hopefully all the guys, and I know all the coaches and players, are focused on the bills. It’s just about crushing the pocket and keeping Josh in there.

 

Q: Yesterday, Alex [Van Pelt] was talking about Drake and his sneaks. He basically said, ‘I’m going to make sure we get him to next season. If I don’t have to sneak him, I don’t want to sneak him,’ but would if it was a got-to-have-it play. I just want to ask you your thoughts. Are you good with that?

 

JM: Look, I would say Alex and Drake and myself are always going to do what’s best for the team and try to put us in a position to win games.

 

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