"Mayo Mondays"! Pats' HC, Jerod Mayo joins! mayo discusses Drake Maye and the Qb situation. Mayo talks about Aiyuk rumors and addresses if players want to come to NE. Mayo on CeeDee Lamb situation, Mayo: "Can't talk about players on other teams, but you could put a call in!"
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00:00And, for the first official Mayo Monday this season, here is the head coach of the New
00:07England Patriots, Gerard Mayo.
00:08Hey coach, good morning.
00:09How are you guys doing?
00:10Good, how are you?
00:11I'm doing well.
00:12Just before we get started, I heard about Chris's dog, Pudge, and I just want to offer
00:21my condolences to him.
00:22I understand, you know, a dog's a man's best friend, and I've been through that, so I can
00:25empathize with him.
00:26But sorry to hear that bad news.
00:29Thank you, Gerard.
00:30Very nice of you to say.
00:31We are, I'm sure like you, very excited about getting this season underway, and you've got
00:38a couple preseason games under the belt here, first time as a head coach.
00:44Just wanted to ask you about the in-game experience and how different it was, or has been so far
00:50this season from where you were last season.
00:53Yeah, the in-game experience has been good.
00:57When you don't have to worry about making substitutions, and I can just see the game
01:01and see what's happening on the field, it's a very cool experience, and you know, obviously
01:07I'm not going to be, you know, it's my second preseason game, going into the third preseason
01:13game, I'm going to approach this like a real game because we start on the road, and this
01:17is our only opportunity to really do a road preseason game.
01:24Did you give any thought at all to going with the cutoff hoodie, or no?
01:31The short sleeve hoodies, they sell them.
01:33They just sell them, and I like short sleeve hoodies.
01:38I love hoodies.
01:39I always have them.
01:41Gerard, back in the spring, you said that Drake May had a lot to work on, and it seems
01:45like from the outside looking in, he has made a lot of progress.
01:50In your seat, what's been the best part about Drake May coming into this preseason, and
01:57has he made a lot of progress from the spring?
02:00He's definitely made progress, and I would say overall, just his command of the huddle
02:04and, you know, his progressions have been pretty good.
02:08He still has a lot to work on.
02:10Let's not forget, he is a rookie quarterback, and there are things that will show up that
02:15he hasn't seen before, and you have to remember in the preseason games, usually the defenses
02:21and the offenses, it's really basic, and so he'll still continue to develop and see new
02:28things, but I like where he is.
02:30Gerard, let me just warn you, Gerard, Wiggy's got some issues here when it comes to quarterbacks,
02:37so I hope you're ready for them.
02:38As a former player, he's got some issues.
02:41So what went into your decision, because I think a lot of us fans here, the expectations
02:47were, you know, when you see a lot of teams draft a quarterback that high, coming off
02:52kind of a losing season, that he would be QB1, he would be the number one guy.
02:58What went into your decision on to going in, it seems like, a different direction with
03:06Jacoby Brissett being QB1?
03:08I wouldn't say a different direction.
03:11I would say that Jacoby has played in this league for a long time, and he has really
03:16earned the right, and I would say earned the respect of his teammates, and also the coaches
03:21to go out there and move the ball.
03:23Now, in saying that, we came into the season, even like right after we drafted Drake at
03:28three, with a plan, a development plan, and so sometimes I feel like, not that people
03:34are talking out of both sides of their mouths, but, you know, we talk about how he's developed
03:39here during training camp, but then also, why isn't he playing?
03:42And so, like I said, we're going to stick to the plan, it may not be a popular plan,
03:46but we're doing what we think is right for the organization, not only in the near term,
03:50but also long term.
03:52Yeah, and I think, listen, we do, that's what we do, we get paid to talk out of both
03:55sides of our mouth, so I understand that, and I think, just when you talk about a development
04:02plan, and I know you're not going to tell us exactly what it is, but I'm kind of...
04:07I sent you an email, I sent you the plan in an email.
04:12It might have got lost in spam.
04:14It was, well, I got one email from you, which I think just said, burn some cash.
04:18Oh, geez.
04:20Don't bring that back up, please, please, don't bring that back up.
04:25But, so was that plan to bring him along slowly, and is that based on concerns that you might
04:35have about the offensive line, or experience that you've had when it comes to watching
04:41other rookie quarterbacks drafted where he is, and their entry into the league?
04:48I mean, I think that's a great question, and a valid point.
04:52We're definitely trying to figure out not only the best five offensive linemen as individuals,
04:57but what best combination will give this team a great chance to win, and so that definitely
05:04played a part of it.
05:06I would also say I'm a huge believer that it all starts up front, whether we're talking
05:09about defensive line, or we're talking about offensive line, and we'll move from there.
05:13Now, in saying that, I'm not sure, when we say the starting offensive line, I'm not sure
05:18how you guys see it.
05:20I know that we have a plan there as well for the offensive line, and I think, you know,
05:25you see David Andrews out there, and he is a starter, right?
05:29He started a long time in this league, but at the same time, if he was to come out of
05:33the game, and everyone was still in the game, is that the starting offensive line?
05:37And so I don't want to get confused with managing a veteran player in Dave Andrews,
05:42and then start talking about starters on the offensive line.
05:45Gerrard, one of the things that you talked about, and you know, you've been around the
05:49game long enough to know that you have specific plans, or game plans, and then things happen,
05:54and then all of a sudden, you have to scrap that and change it.
05:56One of the things that you've been talking about is Drake May's development, and him
06:01now, it looks like there's like a competition there.
06:04Is there a chance, I know you talked about developmental plan, but is there a chance
06:09that within these next couple of weeks before your season opener, that maybe he performs
06:15at a level where your plan might change a little bit, where he could potentially see
06:21more action, or even be the starter come week one?
06:25100%.
06:26And we're still in training camp.
06:28We still have our preseason game against Washington.
06:32And once again, we don't have a starting quarterback right now.
06:36When it's time, we'll announce that.
06:37But he could absolutely be QB1.
06:40So could Jacoby.
06:42So we'll just have to see how it plays out.
06:44What is the number one thing you need to see out of Drake to make him QB1?
06:50I would say with all positions, it's just consistency.
06:53You don't want to ride the up and down waves, and that's what he's, that's what you've
06:58been proving here as of late.
06:59And we'll see if this trajectory continues to go that way.
07:02Gerard, just as a general rule, I'm curious as to, there's the conversation, and it's
07:08not specific to Drake May, it's rookie quarterbacks, the NFL, it's, you know, every year there
07:12seems to be four or five first round quarterbacks taken where this debate goes on.
07:16What could happen to a rookie quarterback behind a line or a team that's not ready
07:21that could damage them long term?
07:23And is that your concern?
07:24Like, is it, is it just you want everything to be right before you begin a new career
07:29as opposed to starting and learning from the beginning?
07:32Yeah, that's a great question.
07:34I would say whether you're in your first year or your 10th year at the quarterback position,
07:37if you, if you feel that you're not comfortable in the pocket, it's a huge detriment, not
07:44only to the quarterback position, but to the team.
07:46And so when you talk about, you know, building confidence in your teammates, that's what
07:50training camp is all about.
07:51That's what the preseason game is all about.
07:53And, and hopefully, hopefully these quarterbacks are starting to get that, you know, build
07:58that trust.
07:58I understand the offensive line had a hard day against Philly, not to look back in the
08:02past, but overall, I would say the offensive line and the pockets, if you watch the games
08:07and if you watch practice have done a good job and, and those guys going forward, they'll
08:12continue to get better.
08:13And once again, the combination of guys up front, they have to be able to play with other
08:18people.
08:18People get injured, people get benched, people, new starters, all that stuff.
08:22They have to learn how to play together.
08:24And so when you see players playing at different positions up front, we're just trying to gather
08:29information and see what the best five looks like.
08:32We had Jelani Tavai on about a half an hour ago, and he was talking about a big difference
08:40for him this year is the way you as a head coach interact with younger guys.
08:45Robert Kraft said a very similar thing on this show a couple of weeks ago.
08:50I wanted to ask you about that in light of Matthew Judon.
08:54And if, you know, we all saw what happened with you two out on the field, did that, did
09:00the way that interaction happened bother you?
09:04Do you, do you wish it happened differently?
09:07And did that, was that a factor when it came to Matthew Judon not being here any, any longer?
09:14Look, Matthew and I have a great relationship and I'm not sure what you guys saw, but we
09:19had a conversation man to man, which I thought was a good conversation.
09:23It wasn't heated.
09:24It wasn't anything like that.
09:25It's a, it was more just to figure out like, what are we trying to achieve here?
09:29Matthew, he's made many contributions to our team.
09:32I love him both as a player and as a man, but I have nothing but good things to say
09:37about him.
09:37Unfortunately, it just didn't work out.
09:39What I will say, I think it's a win.
09:41I think it's a win-win.
09:42He wanted, you know, he wanted a new contract and things like that.
09:46And I think it was a win-win for all of us.
09:49Gerard, one of the things that I know you kind of touched base on a little bit is just
09:53the third preseason game being on the road.
09:56When you start to look at that, I know it's still a few days away.
10:01What's your approach going to be with this game?
10:03Because with this new format, it's almost like even though it's the third preseason
10:07game, it's the last one.
10:08And in years past, we know a lot of the first teamers don't play in that.
10:13What's your approach with this preseason game when it comes to your first teamers and what
10:19you're going to do, especially with it, like you said, it being on the road?
10:23Yeah, Woody, I mean, look, you remember back in the day, we had four preseason games.
10:27And so now we have three, and I anticipate everyone that is healthy is going to play
10:31in the game.
10:32Once again, I've said this over the past few weeks, the only way you get good at football
10:36is playing football.
10:37So all of these guys are preparing as if they're going to play in the game.
10:42Gerard, how important is it for you to just be your own guy?
10:46We've seen a lot of people that learned under Bill or with Bill that have tried to sort
10:51of replicate that without Bill, and it hasn't had the greatest results.
10:55How do you feel you've done and how important is it for you to just be your own man and
10:58not try and be Bill Belichick as the head coach?
11:01Well, I think, you know, looking out the front windshield, that would be for you guys to
11:05decide.
11:06I am my own man, always have been.
11:08I learned a lot from Bill, and I just do some things a little bit differently.
11:12But that would be for you guys to decide going forward.
11:16Well, real quick, I want to, and this is credit to you, we have a new sponsor for this
11:22segment, Mayo Mondays, and it is Hellman's Mayonnaise.
11:28Happy to have them, happy to have them on board.
11:31And we have the Hellman's Mayo question for Mayo right now, Courtney.
11:37Gerard, I got to ask about Slip and Slide Day because it's fascinating to me.
11:41Having the rookies do the slip and slide.
11:43How do you make sure that you're getting what you need out of them during that without them
11:47getting hurt?
11:49That's been a longstanding tradition here for, you know, it's been a longstanding tradition
11:54and I think it's important.
11:55It helps build camaraderie.
11:57It also puts those guys in a tough position to go out there and handle the rest of the
12:03practice when things aren't right, when your shoes are soaking wet, your jersey's soaking
12:07wet, and you can see how guys respond.
12:09And you want them to respond positively, but that's not always the case.
12:13I would also say we made the first-time coaches do the slip and slide.
12:18Myself included as a first-time head coach, I did the slip and slide.
12:21You saw Hightower out there doing the slip and slide.
12:23It's just one of those things that helps bring us together.
12:26All right, I got to ask you about this because we've had some fun with it.
12:30The virtual reality portion of training camp, were there virtual sprints?
12:35Tell me a little bit about that.
12:38The virtual reality system has been good.
12:45You want to get everyone reps in practice, especially at the quarterback position, but
12:50we are limited by time and we're limited by, you know, the CBA as far as being out on the
12:55field.
12:56I think tools like the virtual reality system help these guys still reps.
13:02No virtual sprints, though.
13:03No virtual sprints.
13:04All right, good.
13:04It's good to clear that up.
13:05I would dominate virtual sprints all day long.
13:08You'd be great on the virtual sled as well, Wiggy.
13:10Virtual diet.
13:13Virtual diet.
13:17Gerard, we've all had that experience.
13:20Wiggy, hey, Wiggy didn't like that joke.
13:25I've heard him long enough, Gerard.
13:26I can get through it.
13:28We've all had that experience where you run into an old girlfriend, somebody you used
13:37to date, and they look fantastic.
13:41Did you experience that at all watching any of Mac Jones on Saturday night?
13:49Look, I wish nothing but the best for Mac, and he's having a good preseason.
13:53I'm happy for him.
13:54You know, I always talk about these are long-term relationships.
13:57You guys have heard me say that, and I wish him nothing but the best unless he's
14:00playing against the Patriots.
14:03Gerard, you talked about a lot of the first-time coaches and this being your first time as
14:09a head coach.
14:10When you start to look at some of the roles that some of the guys are doing, we see Demarcus
14:17Covington.
14:18It looks like he's the guy who's calling the plays from the sideline.
14:22Is there going to be some times where we see you doing that, or is it more of like
14:26him but collectively or a group approach?
14:29What's your approach, especially being a defensive guy, when it comes to maybe calling
14:35the plays?
14:37We have coordinator meetings multiple times every week, and we go through the plans.
14:43Obviously, those plans change depending on how the game is going, but we're on the same
14:48page offensively, defensively, and also special teams.
14:52You've got to remember, I was a special teams core player as well.
14:55Don't want to forget about the special teams, but I have great faith in those guys to go
15:00out there and handle the things that we've talked about in peace, and those times of
15:05peace are in the coordinator meetings.
15:07So in the game, it's kind of hectic, and we're all on the same page.
15:11When it comes to a player like Brandon Ayuk, take us through how that decision-making happens.
15:20Is that Elliot's call?
15:23Is that your call?
15:24Is that Robert Kraft's call?
15:25Do you guys do it collaboratively?
15:27How do you end up putting together the deal that we have heard that you put together for
15:33that player?
15:33It's a collaborative approach, and first of all, I thank ownership for entrusting Elliot
15:40and myself with making these decisions.
15:44Look, Ayuk is still holding out, so it definitely wasn't us.
15:48It wasn't just us.
15:49He'll probably end up playing in San Fran, but ultimately on the roster decisions, Elliot
15:55will make that final call.
15:57We get negative sometimes, and do you get the feeling that it will be difficult to get
16:03big money free agents here for a while?
16:06I think once this thing starts coming together and we start winning games, I think more players
16:14would want to come.
16:15I mean, it's a great place out here in New England.
16:17If you love football, this is the place that you want to be.
16:21For a lot of fans a bit worried about the tight end position, you guys have a banged
16:25up tight end room right now.
16:27Should we be worried, or are you okay with it?
16:30No, I mean, I'm okay with it, and I would say these aren't extended recoveries for these
16:35guys.
16:36They'll be ready to go relatively early in the season.
16:39All right.
16:40Well, we thank you for taking the time.
16:42How was it, our first time together, really?
16:45It was great.
16:46It was great.
16:46It was great.
16:47How was the helmet and mayo?
16:50I have this idea.
16:51Do you have like one minute?
16:52I have this idea for extra mayo where we ask you a question and then play it later.
16:56Do you have any?
16:58Can you hang on for one minute, or do you have to be gone?
17:00Maybe we could do it when we're live with you.
17:02I'll introduce that later when we're down at Gillette.
17:05That's an in-person offer.
17:07That's in-person only, Curtis?
17:10All right, coach.
17:11Thanks for taking the time, and we will look forward to talking to you Monday after the
17:15final preseason game on Sunday.
17:18Sounds good.
17:19Appreciate you guys.
17:19Wait, Wiggy has one.
17:20And CD is holding out CD Lamb, so.
17:26We can't talk about players on other teams, but you can put a call in.
17:29I'm sure he knows Jerry.
17:30All right, Wiggy.
17:31All right, Wiggy.
17:32All right.
17:32Thanks, coach.
17:33There you go.
17:34All right, thanks.
17:35All right.
17:35There he is.
17:36Put a call in.
17:37That's all I'm saying.
17:38Okay.