Post Game Press Conference – HC Jerod Mayo
PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
August 8, 2024
JM: Look, let’s start off, I thought the guys went out there and competed, played hard. Definitely room for improvement. All week we’ve been talking about, “this game doesn’t count but it does matter.” It matters from an individual point of view and also from a team point of view. And all that matters really is the guys in those rooms and it’s not just me, it’s we. That’s my message to the team.
Q: Can you walk us through the thought process behind using the quarterbacks in the way that you did tonight?
JM: We wanted to see Jacoby [Brissett] obviously go out there and operate as well as Drake [Maye], mixing them in there with the ones. The rest of those guys, like [Bailey] Zappe and Joe [Milton III], they went out there and finished up the game. Thought they did a good job. But that was kind of the thinking. Next week we have the Eagles. So we’ll practice against them and, who knows, the reps will probably change a little bit and we’ll see what happens in the game. But that was the thought process.
Q: You mentioned getting Drake Maye into the game. What went into the decision to pull him after one series tonight?
JM: That was always the plan. The plan was to get him in there for one series, to get Jacoby in there for one series, and then really turn it into the Zappe show and then the Joe show. That was the plan going in.
Q: Was there any trepidation over having Drake in another series performing with his, like, second offensive line? Was that part of the decision?
JM: That’s always a consideration. If he’s in there, you want him in there with the starting offensive line. We’ve got to protect guy. Not saying we don’t have to protect the other guys, but absolutely they’re going to.
Q: Do you feel you’re going to get enough of seeing him in live action going about it like this?
JM: Like I said, this is the first preseason game. We still have two left. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to go against other teams, the two other teams before the regular season.
Q: Just your thoughts on what you saw from Joe Milton. Are you ready for also sports talk radio fever to hit all week with Joe?
JM: I don’t even listen to that stuff. But honestly, Joe went out there. We know he has a big arm. He has the athleticism. He’s getting better with his reads every single day. He has natural leadership ability. But once again, it’s not just about one game; it’s about the full body of work. You can come out here and play well but you also have to do it on a day-to-day basis, in practice and you’ve got to gain the confidence of not only the coaches but also your teammates. And this was a step forward for him.
Q: Obviously you said the plan was to do one drive for both for Brissett and Maye. What came down to the decision to pull Zappe when you did and to put Milton in when you did? Any thought process behind that?
JM: It was about opportunity. It was about opportunity. Zappe went out there, look, he’s won games in the NFL before. But then just putting Joe in at a time where we needed a spark and he provided that spark, which I thought was good.
Q: What was it like for you, first game as a head coach?
JM: I just felt like I was just in my element. I felt great to be out there. Nothing else really mattered to me. When you don’t have to worry about substitutions and things like that, you kind of see the game from a different perspective, which I thought was great for me today. And it was the first time I really got a chance to experience that. Hopefully it keeps going the same way and we do a good job with the subs with our assistant coaches and I can focus on the game in totality.
Q: Butterflies?
JM: There was more excitement. It was almost like you get on a roller coaster and you just hear that click, like, click, click. And then you get to the top and it kind of is go time. I mean, at this point you’re so far along, we have nowhere else to go. I wouldn’t say butterflies, just excitement and pure joy, honestly.
Q: Any player specifically that exceeded your expectations going into tonight, just the way they showed in the game?
JM: Honestly, I need to go back and watch the film. The easy answer would be Joe [Milton III]. Joe went out there and I don’t think we’ve ever seen a quarterback here run around as much as he did and was still able to get the ball down the field. He’s one of those guys. It was Joe.
Q: Kind of preseason for you guys and the coaching staff as well. First time out. I was just wondering how the communication and all that kind of went for Alex Van Pelt, DeMarcus Covington, everyone?
JM: I would love to tell you that the communication was 100 percent on point. But there are definitely things that we need to work out. But for the most part it was pretty clean.
Q: Taking focus away from the quarterbacks, last season, you mentioned you talked about the progress you’d seen Jeremiah Pharms make over the course of his career in New England. What did you see from him tonight in terms of putting it together on the field?
JM: Anytime he steps foot on the field, he takes advantage of that opportunity. His story is remarkable, a guy just on the street. He was here, we moved him to fullback. He played defensive tackle, he played guard, he played all those positions. When you find a player that just loves the game of football, no matter what the coach asks him to do, it’s a great player, in my mind. And Pharms displays that.
Q: After pairing Drake with the top offensive line tonight, do you anticipate giving him more time with the top line in practice this week?
JM: I mean, look, the reps, that’s something to talk to AVP [Alex Van Pelt] about. At the same time, I would say this is a huge week for us against Philly. We’ll see what happens in practice and then also in the game. But he’s ready to go. When he’s ready to go, we’ll put him there.
Q: You mentioned that Joe’s performance stood out tonight. Just curious what role does preseason games versus, say, practice play and training camp play in the evaluation process where you’re trying to get a total view of how a player, whether it’s quarterback position or another position, can affect winning and make a squad?
JM: We always say there’s nothing more important than practice. We continue to stress the importance of the process. Obviously you want that to show up on the field. Sometimes it does; sometimes it doesn’t. But practice is the number one thing for all these guys as far as the evaluation. It’s not only on the field during practice, but also in the classroom.
Q: Just quick thoughts on the defensive line, I thought they got after it tonight, played with a lot of energy. What were your thoughts on those guys?
JM: They play with a lot of energy. We were, I would say as a whole, the most physical team on the field today. It starts up front, starts with the offensive line, it starts with the defensive line; I thought those guys played well.
Q: You talked about this being a big week with Philly coming in for the joint practice and game. How will you use your joint practice with your ones and so forth going into this week?
JM: I mean, look, we want to see what these guys can do. If it’s ones versus ones, that’s one thing. But you also need to see what your second and third string can do against some of their good guys. I’ll talk to Coach Sirianni and we’ll have a plan of what we want to see. I’m sure he wants to do some things as well to evaluate his own team, and then the game is also very important. So we’ll see how it goes.
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 the Word Doc here: Mayo 080824