Patriots Head Coach Jerod Mayo joins! Does Mayo think Patriots roster will be better next year? What's one thing Patriots will improve on after bye?
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00:00Is the head coach of the New England Patriots joins us right now.
00:02Hello, Gerard Mayo.
00:05Good morning.
00:06How was that?
00:07I want to, did you guys not want to come in this morning
00:09or stay on your bi-week?
00:11Well, listen, there was some news with regard to Juan Soto and the
00:15news was not good for the Red Sox.
00:17And so we decided that we would head here.
00:21It's a bi-week and we wanted to give you the chance to get right
00:24to work and get us done with early because we know you got a lot.
00:28How thoughtful, how thoughtful of you guys.
00:31I mean, the real reason Gerard is that Greg had a 5k on Saturday
00:35that he can barely move.
00:36Yeah, I can't move at all.
00:38I cannot move at all.
00:41Did you get to sit down and watch any football yesterday?
00:45I did.
00:45I did and you know, took an opportunity this week, you know,
00:48during the bi-week to watch us, you know, just over the course
00:52of the season and things that we just have to continue to get
00:54better at and really focus on the last quarter of the season
00:56and, you know, try to get the 1-0 this week.
00:59Gerard, I know that you probably say there's a bunch of areas
01:02that you got to get better at, but what's the one area that
01:05you feel like from having the bi-week that you really got to
01:09focus on moving forward?
01:12Turnovers.
01:13Turnovers will make everything that much better, protecting
01:16the football offensively and defensively going out there and
01:19getting the ball.
01:20So I think right now we're minus six.
01:22We just got to do a better job there.
01:25Gerard.
01:25It was interesting, you know, it was interesting like watching
01:28those games yesterday too and I'm sure you guys watch a lot
01:30of football and just the situations that come up and it
01:35was just interesting just to see the different philosophies
01:37too. So it was good to be able to sit down and watch some
01:40football. Gerard, you sat down with Tommy Curran last week
01:43for a discussion about the season where you're at and you've
01:47said that year one to year two as a player was the biggest
01:50jump and as a coach, you're looking forward for year one
01:53to year two.
01:54I'm curious.
01:55What's one thing that you most want to improve on as you
01:58enter your second year and finish up your first?
02:01Well, I think the first thing is just wins and losses.
02:04It all comes down to wins and losses and what I will say is
02:07yeah, you know, I got to continue to grow but we're going
02:09to grow together as a team and that's really been my main
02:12focus and you know, just look forward to the opportunity
02:15to get better.
02:16You know that you signed up for this so you know that there's
02:19speculation left and right about all this stuff.
02:21Have you have you has Robert told you that you're back
02:25again next year?
02:27My main focus has just been really getting this team ready
02:30to play this week.
02:32This week.
02:33Sorry, we lost you.
02:35Yeah, you got me.
02:36Yeah, we got you.
02:37So look just getting the guys ready.
02:39This is why we should do it.
02:40This is why we should do it in person.
02:41Yes.
02:42Well, because then I could really grill you on this.
02:43So he so he has has has not told you or has told you that
02:50you're back next year.
02:51No, I'm not.
02:52I'm not going to get into all of that stuff.
02:55Look here.
02:56I go again dancing a little bit but my focus is on the guys
02:59in this room.
03:00The coaches on the staff and and learning this game that
03:02we have coming up.
03:04And you spoke and going back to that conversation that you
03:07told Tom that you and the Robert and Jonathan debrief after
03:11games.
03:12Could you walk me through just sort of I know you're not
03:14going to get into the details of those conversations, but
03:17what kinds of things do you discuss?
03:18Do you go as like into specific game like play calls or
03:22one of those conversations like?
03:25Well, I would say first, you know, but yes, they are the
03:28owners of the team, but they're also huge fans of football
03:30and huge fans of the Patriots.
03:32So they had just, you know, the normal questions that I'm
03:36sure you guys talk about our fans are, you know, fans talk
03:38about Gerard when you look at this team, you're able to
03:42sit back like you said and get a better view and watch
03:45the rest of the league and how where do you think you are
03:50as far as like making the postseason next year?
03:53Like what where what areas do you feel like or players are
03:58like what's your need or how far away are you?
04:01I guess that's the biggest thing to to be able to sit and
04:04look and see and say, okay, we're not that far off.
04:08You know, when you talk about when you have the opportunity
04:11to kind of watch games yesterday and you see all the one
04:13score games around the league like that's what it is and
04:16the reality of the situation is that we've been in seven
04:18of those and haven't been able to really close them out.
04:20And so that's just something that, you know, we can just
04:23do that and if we can just, you know, win the turnover
04:26battle, I will be in a much better place.
04:29I know you may have seen the news, but Bill Belichick
04:33is interviewed with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
04:37Do you ever envision seeing Bill Belichick coaching college
04:40football, especially being as close to Don Shula as he
04:43is today? He's a great coach and to me, it doesn't matter
04:47if you're a young man or or a 10-year vet in a week, like
04:51he's a great teacher and you know, I wish him nothing but
04:54but the best. It doesn't really matter what level I think
04:56he'll be successful. I'm not sure if you dealt with this
04:59way in your NFL career, but I know I have. How would it
05:04feel if you had a legendary coach walk into your living
05:07room back when you were a three-star recruit in high
05:10school? Would you, how would you feel about that? I think
05:13for me, I would be super excited because I would be like,
05:16oh, this guy could help me get to the NFL, but that that
05:19would be my thought process. I agree and what I will say
05:23is I tried to send a shot with the three stars, but you
05:26didn't catch that joke. No, no, no, no. I listen. I was
05:29going to leave it right there because I had zero stars
05:32when I was coming out of high school. So I was going
05:34to leave it at the three stars. Believe me, I'll take three.
05:37I had zero, but what when you start to look and I think
05:43when you start to kind of evaluate everything, damn
05:45Gerard, I was the three stars thing just threw me off
05:48what I was getting ready to say to you.
05:52So damn, wait, you forgot your question. I had a good
05:55question. Oh, man. How did that happen? Because the three
05:59stars, yeah, no, the three stars and then you kind of
06:02had me going in another direction. Oh, here it was.
06:05I'm so sorry. I had started by saying I don't know if
06:09this is something that ever happened to you in your
06:11career, but I had dealt with it. What's the four games
06:15left? You're out of the playoffs. What's the message
06:18to make sure guys are still competing and not basically
06:24checked out and just looking towards the end of the year.
06:28Yeah, every single year is unique as far as the team
06:31and as far as the culture and all that stuff. What I
06:33will say is, you know, over the last few weeks, I think
06:36you still seen the guys fighting going out there
06:38competing on each and every snap and trying to win a
06:39football game. And so that's my expectation. I know
06:42that's the expectation that the guys put on each other
06:44is to go out here practice hard today, get a good week
06:48of practice and then go out there and try to win a ball
06:50game by week. I know it's kind of not a specific game
06:53to react to. So I'm just curious at this stage. What
06:55has been the toughest part of your job that maybe you
06:58didn't expect and what is the part of your job? You've
07:00most enjoyed in your first season as a head coach.
07:03Yeah, I'll start with we enjoyed and instead, you know,
07:06every day is different and just the opportunity to go
07:09out on the field with a group of guys, you know, players
07:12and coaches and staff and try to get everyone swimming
07:15or pulling in the same direction. That's been it's been
07:18great. And again, I wake up every morning feeling blessed
07:20to even come in here and have that opportunity, you know,
07:23on the other end of the spectrum. I'll pull a wiggy.
07:26What was the other end of the spectrum?
07:29Was the worst part is the worst part of it. Yeah, it's
07:33probably I wouldn't say is it this interview?
07:39No, no, it's like, look, I feel I don't feel like there
07:43is a worst part. You know, I'm sure people are like, well,
07:46he's full of it. No, like when I took this job, I understood
07:49what it entailed. And to me, there is no worst part,
07:52especially when I'm inside this building.
07:54Chime never gets to ask a question. You haven't met
07:56Chime yet. He's always here running things while we're
07:58out there. Chime, you got a question? Yeah, I know exactly.
08:01I know who it is. Yeah, I appreciate you, Gerard. So I
08:05do have a question for you. So one of the biggest things
08:08I've noticed this season and at least it feels to me like
08:11they're at times offensively, you guys sometimes lack
08:15aggression in my opinion. I feel like and I've seen you
08:18use it, utilize it during the game, like you zero blitz
08:21Matt Stafford. So like I know it's there and yet sometimes
08:24I feel like there's a passiveness to the offense that
08:27I don't particularly love. Is that designed or is that
08:29just kind of a case-by-case basis? I was curious your
08:33thoughts. Yeah, it's definitely a case-by-case basis.
08:36I would also say, you know, I've heard, you know, go
08:39forward on fourth and five here, go forward on fourth
08:41and six. All those things sound good as long as you pick
08:43it up. And so when we even go back to the one score
08:46games, like the way that we're playing, I believe is
08:49the right way to play in saying that, but we need to
08:52win more football games and it is a game plan element
08:55to it. Gerard, you had talked about, you know, just like
09:01things that you can change and what you're doing and
09:03you know, like as a as a rookie when you come into this
09:06league as a player, you kind of know like, oh, I can be
09:09successful at this level. Do you feel the same way when
09:13it comes to you as a head coach? Like do you believe
09:16that you could be successful? 100%. I know I'll be
09:21successful 100%. And look, you're going to go through
09:24these, you're going to go through these trying times.
09:26Like that's what it is. And the mark of a true leader
09:27is being able to navigate this and knowing that you're
09:30going the right way. And I truly believe that we are
09:32going the right way in short term. It may be disappointing,
09:36but in the long term, we're doing it the right way.
09:38All right, Gerard Mayo, go ahead Curtis. I was just
09:40going to say, watching the games yesterday, it was
09:43clear to me, I know you're not going to say this, that
09:45the talent gap is massive. When I watch the Bills
09:48offense, when I see some of these successful teams
09:51and I see what Drake May has to work with, are you
09:54confident that this team will be in a much different
09:58position in terms of the roster as we get ready for
10:01year two of your tenure as head coach? We'll 100%
10:05be a better football team next year. All right,
10:08Curtis, that was the Hellman's Mayo question of the
10:11week from Chris Curtis. You can purchase Hellman's
10:15at your local Walmart or grocery store to add extra
10:18deliciousness and creamy flavor to your game day
10:20dishes this football season. Give it three stars.
10:23Do you give Hellman's three stars, coach? No, five
10:26stars. Hellman's five stars. Five stars. Five stars.
10:30All right. All right, Gerard Mayo, we will see you
10:32down there in person on Monday. All right. Sounds
10:36good though. All right, that is Gerard Mayo on a
10:39Mayo Monday.