Post Game Press Conference – Patriots HC Jerod Mayo
PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
September 15, 2024
JM: Well, that one hurts. But look, I told the team, it’s a Wednesday in our world. We have to be ready to change the page and move on and get ready to win this next football game. This is NFL football. It’s one play here, one play there. You just never know which play it is. It’s easy to try to pick out some plays here and there, but it’s all of us. We have to get better as a team and look forward to getting back on the practice field and getting better.
Q: Jerod, how much do you learn from this one? You had the blocked field goal which certainly cost you some points and then they came and got a field goal and at the end the 47-yard run set you guys up nicely. How much do you learn from a game like this?
JM: That’s a great question. That’s part of my message. It’s all about the details. If we get the little things right, the big things will take care of themselves. We just didn’t take care of the little things, and we weren’t as detailed or as on top of our P’s and Q’s like we should have been. Which is my responsibility. I take 100 percent responsibility. These guys – I will say this: This is a tough football team. No matter what’s said outside this building, and I told these guys that, as well. We’re a tough football game, not only physically but also mentally. I appreciate their effort. It just wasn’t enough today.
Q: Jerod, you’ve mentioned that this is clearly a tough football team, but in today’s game the limited passing attack, only three completions to receivers, do you think at all today’s game showed the limitations you guys have on offense?
JM: I’m not sure. Each team to going to try to attack us different ways. We definitely have to start to get the ball down the field. We’ve got to start pushing the ball down the field to get that shell defense, and we’ve got to be able to run. We’ve got to be able to pass. We’ve got to be able to ping-pong between the two. It’s something that we need to work on. That’s what I would say.
Q: On the 3rd and 1 there, Tyquan Thornton is in the backfield, unbalanced line, you talk about being a tough, physical football team – ?
JM: That’s all on us. That’s on us as coaches. I don’t put anything on the player. Look, he was in there at times. He had to report. Then he played some tackle and there was some confusion. Once again, there was no receiver outside of him. That’s our fault 100 percent.
Q: From a mentality standpoint, trying to drive the ball down people’s throat and in that case it felt like you tried to do something – fancy might be the wrong word –
JM: I don’t think we tried to do anything fancy. I think we tried to run the plays that we felt pretty comfortable with going into the game, and then at halftime make some adjustments. Look, this isn’t a fancy football team. This is one of those teams whether we throw it or run it that we just have to be a tough football team, but at the same time, have to be smart. We have to be able to go out there and line up and be mentally tough on a down-after-down basis.
Q: Jerod, how much consideration did you guys have for going for it on 4th and 1 in overtime?
JM: I would say there’s some consideration. There’s always consideration in those weird spots, especially when you get on the plus side of the field. I did what I thought was best.
Q: Then with Okorafor leaving the team, did that surprise you at all? How would you describe your conversations with him?
JM: I had a conversation with Chuks and it had nothing to do with football and had everything to do with just checking on him as a man. It was a good conversation. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
Q: What worked very well for you guys in Cincinnati was not giving up the big play, and today D.K. Metcalf had that catch in the first, then obviously the blocked field goal. Was that the difference in the game?
JM: Those were two huge plays. That’s on us. At times we want to be aggressive, and they called a good play, and they hit it down the sideline.
Q: Your final nine plays offensively, just 11 yards. What happened with the execution there late in the game?
JM: Just wasn’t good enough. Execution just wasn’t good enough. I wish I had an excuse. We just have to be better.
Q: Jacoby Brissett did a great job most of the day of avoiding sacks, getting away from the rush. Before that blocked field goal, though, he took a sack and you guys lost nine yards there. What did you see on that play and is there any specific instruction to him in the headset for whatever you do here, make sure you don’t take a sack?
JM: We always try to talk about situational football. I’ll go back and watch the film and have a better answer for you going forward. What I will say in the first half he made some plays by extending drives with his legs, which is encouraging to see. We just need to be more of a balanced offense, which that will be the goal this week.
Q: You mentioned situational football. There were two end-of-half situations where you guys weren’t able to capitalize. What from your perspective was the reason you weren’t able to score on those possessions?
JM: Just lack of execution. That’s what it comes down to. I’m not trying to sound like a broken record. It just comes down to lack of execution. I felt like we were in shape, but as the game wore on, there were these little mental errors that ended up being big plays, and just got to do better.
Q: Last time we spoke to you Friday you said you wanted to see how Seattle would play you. They seemed to win the middle quarters which would indicate some sort of adjustments. What adjustments if any did you see them make?
JM: Yeah, they were matching our big personnel with different groups. They were going base and they were going nickel and kind of just – they were just matching up personnel, and they did a good job making adjustments faster than we did.
Q: Just curious, end of the first half when you guys had the ball, you ended up running one, then taking some time off the clock, throwing a couple. Is there anything you would have done differently in that scenario to prevent them from trying to drive the other way?
JM: Yeah, I mean, look. Like I said I’m going to go back and watch the game. There were a lot of plays in the game, and I don’t want to give you bad information.
Q: Jerod, I think just four targets for Demario Douglas in the first two games. What do you guys need to do to get him more involved on offense?
JM: Yeah, we have to get him going. We have to scheme up some things for him. He’s one of our most explosive players, and that’s on us as coaches to put it together.
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