Patriots HC Jerod Mayo

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

November 26, 2024

 

JM: Good morning. Look, yesterday the NFL removed Jabrill [Peppers] from the Commissioner’s Exempt List. He’s on the roster. We had an open spot and fully anticipate him being able to practice soon. The Colts, it’s going to be a huge challenge for us. I would say defensively, this is one of the better fronts, more disruptive fronts that we have faced this year. We’ve got to do a good job handling the front. Starts with [DeForest] Buckner, who’s been a guy who’s played at a high level for a very long time. Go to the second level, you have [Zaire] Franklin back there. In the third level, [Kenny] Moore [II] and the rest of those guys. They’re definitely very good players and they have a very good defense. I would say offensively, [Jonathan] Taylor, he’s a problem. We have to try to go out there and really bottle him up. I think one thing about him, he probably doesn’t get the hype that he deserves. At the same time, he’s a very explosive player and a very fast player out there on the field. It all really runs through him. In saying that, they definitely have a big arm quarterback. Having a guy like Joe Milton [III] to run the quarterback for the show team is definitely going to be good for us. They have good receivers. I think it starts with [Michael] Pittman [Jr.]. He’s one of those guys that is able to do the dirty work. Doesn’t shy away from blocking people. At the same time, he does a good job catching balls over the middle of the field. He’s really a fearless guy. They’re dealing with some injuries. We’ll see what happens. We’re going to prepare as if all those guys are healthy. When you talk about [Josh] Downs, you talk about the tackles, all that stuff. We’re going to prepare as if they’re healthy. Like I told the team, it’s about us. It’s about us. Wednesdays, days like this, I should say, we always talk about changing the page. This is a Wednesday in my world. We talk about changing the page, and really our full focus is definitely on the Colts. Have an opportunity to come back home, which is always good. It’s good to try to get this thing back on track.

 

Q: Jerod, with Jabrill, you obviously referred to the NFL for so long now. Now that that’s off, do you have a timetable in your mind? Do you anticipate him playing again for you this season?

 

JM: Look, we put the statement out yesterday from an organizational standpoint of how we want to let this process work itself out. Look, when Pep is ready to go, hopefully we can get him to the game.

 

Q: Jerod, does that mean—I mean, he has a trial date in January. Does that mean you’re not waiting for the trial, his case to resolve?

 

JM: Yeah, to me, I think it’s just out of respect for the legal process to let that stuff play out. For us inside these four walls, as long as he’s doing the right thing, I expect him to be able to play when he’s ready to go.

 

Q: Jerod, who is all involved in the decision now that Jabrill has been reinstated for him to practice and play, given this is now under the organization’s power, the decision?

 

JM: Yeah, I would say it’s a combination of things. Again, I’m grateful for how ownership has allowed Eliot [Wolf] and myself to make these types of decisions. We’ll see what this looks like as it continues to play out. Like I said, our focus is on the Colts.

 

Q: Jerod, you said back in October, I believe, when this first happened, that there would be some kind of internal investigation. Has something been satisfied from that investigation?

 

JM: Yeah, look, I fully understand the question. I mean, it’s going to take time. The legal process outside the building and what we think happened inside the building. At the same time, the NFL has taken him off of that Commissioner’s Exempt List, and that’s what we have to roll with.

 

Q: Do you anticipate getting Caedan Wallace back at practice this week?

 

JM: He’s close. It’s kind of the same conversation that we had with [Christian] Barmore and [Cole] Strange. He’s getting closer and closer. Again, once he’s ready to go, he’ll go out there and hopefully help our football team.

 

Q: Jerod, just one more question on Peppers. Has he addressed the team as a group? Will he do something like that, or is this just he arrives and he takes over back where he was?

 

JM: I want to keep private conversations private. Look, he has a good relationship with everyone in this organization. We’ll just keep all that stuff in house.

 

Q: Will he still be a captain?

 

JM: We’ll keep that conversation in the house as well.

 

Q: Is he in the building today?

 

JM: He’s in the building today.

 

Q: Jerod, did the league explain to you why he was removed from the Exempt List when he was?

 

JM: Look, I’m not in those conversations. For me, it’s been about really just trying to get this team ready to play a big game for us because it’s the next game.

 

Q: Is taking over defensive play-calling something that you would be open to this season?

 

JM: No. Look, DeMarcus [Covington] is doing a good job as far as calling plays. It comes down to executing what play is called.

 

Q: How disappointed were you after looking at it, the miscommunications in the secondary from a lot of guys that have played together before?

 

JM: Yeah, very disappointing, especially in critical moments. Look, the communication has to be better at the second level and the third level. It was very disappointing, especially in the red area. Look, we just have to get better.

 

Q: Jerod, to go off of that, with Kyle Dugger and some of the missteps Sunday, is any of that tied to the ankle injury, or is that completely independent of that?

 

JM: To me, any time we put a player out there, he’s healthy enough to play. If you’re healthy enough to play, then the expectation is that you’re going to perform at a high level.

 

Q: Coach, this time of year, you hear about the rookie wall. Do you address that with the guys, or is it just cross that bridge when we get there?

 

JM: No, I don’t really believe in the rookie wall. I don’t believe that it happens in a certain week. There are certain times throughout the season that you have your ups and downs, and you just have to have the mental toughness to be able to push through.

 

Q: Jerod, there have been some questions throughout the season about some of the decisions on fourth down and aggressiveness. Given where you’re at as an organization, first year as a coach and trying to establish things, do you think there’s merit to being more aggressive to setting that standard, like the Lions have done?

 

JM: Yeah, I would say every game is unique in itself. Ultimately, it falls on me to make those decisions. There will be games, we’re a game plan team, that we are aggressive on fourth down. There will be other games where maybe not so much.  I would also say that there are different factors that go into those decisions, like where we are in the game, where we are on the field, and things like that.

 

Q: Jerod, the decision to invite Jabrill back and have practice and potentially play, is that something you and Eliot had to run by ownership?

 

JM: No. Look, my focus has been on the Colts. As soon as the NFL took him off the Commissioner’s Exempt List, then that part of it allows him to be here, and that’s what we’re going by.

 

Q: After the loss in London, you were very forthcoming about your team, what you felt about how they responded. How do you feel coming out of this one, and how do you think that they’ll respond?

 

JM: Yeah, to me, it’s very easy to take the last game and to play as bad as we played and, ‘the sky is falling.’ You just remind those guys of where we were going before that, how we have to win, how we can win and put ourselves in positions to win.

 

Q: Coach, when it comes to the on-field discipline issues, I know you acknowledged that personnel changes can be on the table, but also with depth concerns, sometimes that’s not an option. What else goes into trying to fix those issues, especially if there’s repeat offenses?

 

JM: Yeah, it’s tough. The most frustrating penalties to me are always the pre-snap penalties because that is really just a lack of focus and a lack of detail, and we have to clean that stuff up.

 

Q: Do you expect Jabrill to play on Sunday?

 

JM: Again, he’s off the list. I anticipate him being able to practice. At some point in time, we’ll get to that bridge when we get there.

 

Q: Do you anticipate making more, say, drastic changes to your starting offensive line?

 

JM: That’s a fair question. The one thing that we’ve talked about all year is trying to build continuity up front, letting those guys grow together as well as grow with the starting quarterback and the receivers as well. That’s always been my mindset.

 

Q: Sidy’s [Sow] played a ton of football here last year. This year, after the injury, it seems like he’s had a hard time getting on the field. When we has, he hasn’t been to the level that we saw last season. What are you seeing there? What’s happened with his development?

 

JM: For me, with Sidy, and he’ll sit here and tell you the same thing, it’s just about being more consistent. When you put guys out there on the field, regardless of position, you need to be consistent, and he understands that.

 

Q: What do you think Drake Maye has learned from his recent string of games?

 

JM: Look, once again, it’s very easy to forget that he’s a rookie quarterback. What I will say is the one thing that he is definitely going to improve going forward is just the turnovers, and we can’t play that way. He understands that.

 

Q: Is there a fear of having Jabrill play without having all the information, without having this go through the legal process, without knowing everything, just knowing what could come out?

 

JM: No, look, you always have to assume that things come out. What I will say, in regards to Jabrill, we released that statement, he’s off the list, and we anticipate him being at practice.

 

 

 

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