Patriots HC Jerod Mayo joins #live for the last Mayo Monday! Were there any conversations of Drake Maye not going back in? Is Maye starting Sunday?
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00:00Well, Gerard Mayo is brought to you by Northeast Men's Health, the experts in treating men's
00:04sexual health with five New England offices or at northeastmenshealth.com, by Land Rover
00:09of Norwood, by John Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the name to know when your drains don't flow,
00:15and by Hellman's Real Mayonnaise.
00:16You can purchase Hellman's at your local Walmart or grocery store to add deliciousness and
00:21creamy flavor to your game day dishes this football season.
00:24Gerard, thanks for joining us.
00:27Happy holidays.
00:28And I guess, I guess the place that I want to that I would love to start with you today
00:32is where you left off on yesterday's game or Saturday's game rather.
00:37You said when you came out of that game, not a whole lot of positives that you could take
00:41away from the film.
00:42I know when you just met with the media, you said, well, Colstrange at center seems to
00:47be a place that you could build from.
00:48Did you find any other silver linings in that performance?
00:52Well, you know, the, you know, when watching it, effort wasn't the problem.
00:56It was just, you know, just execution across the board.
01:00And look, it all starts with me and I'm okay saying that.
01:02And we just have to be better.
01:04When you talk about effort, there was, I think it was Daniel Cooney, a quality quality.
01:10Listen, I told you I'm horrible with last names, right?
01:13If it's not like we came in from his vacation, it's not like if it's not like James Johnson
01:18or Jefferson, they tend to kind of butcher them a little bit.
01:23The media had said that he felt like there was some guys that he might've saw some quitting
01:27players.
01:28Do you feel like you saw that in any part of the game from watching the film afterwards?
01:32I mean, look, there are a couple of field goal blocks that, you know, guys didn't get
01:36their hands up.
01:37But besides that, I felt like the effort was good, you know, and it's hard.
01:40It is hard.
01:41Like you used to be a player.
01:42It's hard when, you know, the score kind of gets out of control like that to keep pushing
01:46on.
01:47And I would say the majority, most of, if not all of the guys were still going out there
01:51trying to make a play.
01:54When we talked to you earlier in the season, I think one thing, you know, it's always about
01:57having confidence as a former player, now turned coach.
02:01We all have that confidence.
02:03You were confident that you guys would be able to win more games than you were last
02:07year.
02:08If you could, now that you've been able to see pretty much the whole season except for
02:14one more game left, what would you do differently that could affect that outcome in your mind?
02:20You know, for me, like, look, my confidence is still high.
02:23And I feel like I'm, look, we're on a journey.
02:25We're on a journey.
02:26And that's, I mean, that's part of it.
02:28And so you're going to have to go through the fire.
02:29You're going to have to go through the booze.
02:30You're going to have to go through the criticism to get to where you want to go.
02:33Anything worth having is going to be, I mean, look, it has to be hard.
02:36And that's what it is right now.
02:37So you mentioned that there were still guys in the fourth quarter going out with a lot
02:40of fight.
02:41Drake May appears to be somebody who just has that very naturally.
02:45Was there any conversation at all in the fourth quarter when Justin Herbert is on the sidelines
02:51on the other side about, hey, should Drake go back in at all?
02:54Or was it just kind of a given at that point?
02:56Look, Drake is a competitor.
02:58He said he was good.
02:59He was cleared by the NFL and he wanted to play.
03:02When you look at this up and coming game, I know that you had mentioned that as far
03:07as starting Drake May, everything's still on the table.
03:12Do you plan on starting him?
03:13Or is there, when you say there's a lot of things on the table, what do you mean by that
03:18in general?
03:19You already answered the question.
03:20There's a lot of things on the table.
03:21And look, it's, what is it, Monday?
03:24Plan on a Saturday.
03:25My day's kind of getting messed up.
03:26Today's Monday.
03:27Yeah, today's Monday.
03:28So we have time to have those conversations.
03:29What, how, I guess, how many people, if you mind sharing at all, are involved in those
03:34conversations about, hey, we're looking at Drake, we're looking at maybe somebody else
03:38at the quarterback position and positions elsewhere besides just the quarterback?
03:42We have multiple staff meetings every single day.
03:45And so those conversations come up and ultimately it's my decision.
03:49At the same time, those conversations happen every day.
03:51Is there an emphasis in Sunday's game against the Bills to try to get more of a look at
03:55some of the younger guys or some of the guys who have gotten less play time throughout
03:59the season to see what you have going into the offseason?
04:01I mean, it kind of goes back to kind of what I said earlier, like everything's on the table
04:05and guys want to go out there and play and guys need to go out there and play and get
04:08better.
04:09So you get better at playing football is playing football.
04:11Right.
04:12And I guess my thing would be like Drake has done a, he's pretty, he's done an amazing
04:16job since he's been the starter.
04:19Is there a little bit of concern because of the concussion to lead you to say, well, we
04:24might.
04:25It was never a concussion.
04:26He was cleared.
04:27Cleared.
04:28Okay.
04:29All right.
04:30So it was cleared from, from the hit.
04:31So is there, is that maybe why you're saying that, okay, maybe everything's on the table
04:35because when I think everything's on the table, I'm thinking, well, is Drake not going to
04:39potentially not start on Sunday?
04:41I mean, that could, that could happen.
04:43That's what I'm saying.
04:44Like everything's on the table.
04:45I'm still.
04:46And is that pop because of the, the hit that he took?
04:47It has to do with that.
04:48It has everything to do with, look, this is the last game of the season and we have to
04:52look forward, like going back to like, it's a journey.
04:54I mean, it's, it's, it's not just about one game.
04:57It is, you know, trying to be present and win this football game, but it's a journey
05:00and we've got to think, look out the front windshield where we want to go.
05:04The way that just from an outside perspective, the way that Drake's head injury and the evaluations
05:08played out in that game were a little unusual compared to a lot of times when we see somebody
05:13go down to the locker room, we don't see them come back out.
05:16And so you got a huge boost from the fans, Drake comes back out on the field and everybody's
05:20very excited.
05:21Of course, he's going to be out there.
05:23I don't know.
05:24I don't, sorry, not to cut you off.
05:25I don't know what the numbers are or what percentage of guys come out of the locker
05:29room.
05:30I've seen that before though.
05:31Oh no, I know.
05:32But oftentimes it's, it's, you see him go in the locker room and you go, Oh no, like
05:36that's kind of the inclination.
05:39Do you feel like then you see Drake take off on a run immediately when he's on the field?
05:44Do you feel like he's at a point in his development where you're comfortable with him being able
05:50to protect himself as a free runner?
05:52He has gotten better.
05:53You know, early in the season, he was taking a lot more hits.
05:55I would say he has gotten better and that's part of him just developing.
05:58And look, he is, you know, the quarterback position as a whole is the most important
06:02position on the football field.
06:04And he'll continue to grow, continue to develop and take less hits going forward.
06:07I think it's something that a lot of fans, because they're so, they know the value of
06:11a quarterback and they're so excited about a young quarterback.
06:14It's not just him.
06:15It's you watch other rookies around the league who are very mobile and the fear of them getting
06:20hurt is real.
06:22So do you think that there's further steps that Drake should take in the off season that
06:27the entire offensive coaching staff can look at for him in terms of not taking away that
06:32out of his toolbox, but making him better at protecting himself from those hits?
06:37Well, I would say, you know, first of all, we have five big guys up there who are responsible
06:41for protecting a quarterback, you know, and then having the ability to extend plays is
06:45always a risk of getting hit once you get outside the pocket.
06:49But again, look, he's a competitor and he's growing.
06:52He's still young.
06:53And I think that's the most important thing for people to remember.
06:55He's still a very young player.
06:57He's still learning a lot about football and professional football and how big and how
07:01fast the other guys on the side, on the other side of the ball are.
07:04But I, but again, I would say at the point now versus earlier in the season, does a better
07:09job protecting himself.
07:11There were some guys that Keon White after the game and, you know, I think Jonathan Jones
07:16might've said it as well as just like there needs to be some changes made, you know, generally
07:21from my perspective as a former player, when I think of like a guy that a player says changes,
07:27I think that he might be talking about where he feels he's being placed when it comes to
07:33the coaches in a specific role.
07:35And maybe he feels like maybe there might should be a new DC, new D line coach.
07:40Who the hell knows what that's, that's not what he was, what's he mean by that?
07:45I've had, I've had, I had a conversation with him this morning.
07:47I had a conversation after the first comment, look again, it goes back.
07:51This is a symptom of losing football games too.
07:54And, you know, as a competitor, you get frustrated.
07:56I will say this, like he took some accountability too, for, you know, the way that he's performed
08:00this year.
08:01And again, the expectation is to get better going forward and it starts this week against
08:05the bills.
08:06Does he feel probably no, he doesn't, but did he, does he specifically talk about where
08:12he feels like he could be more valued in his specific role in the defense?
08:18The role, the roles change all the time.
08:20Look, he started the season off hot and there was a law there.
08:24And again, it just goes back to him being frustrated with this play.
08:27And sometimes those things come out, it's a human, I mean, it's a human reaction to
08:30be frustrated.
08:31And sometimes we all say things that we don't really mean.
08:35Do you think that the comments that he made to Karen Garrigian in particular were things
08:40that he didn't really mean in saying, I'm just trying to get through these next few
08:43games?
08:44Look, when I talked to him, he was like, look, that's not what I meant and we'll leave it
08:47at that.
08:48Okay.
08:49And do you think that any of the, look, the frustration is obviously born out of losing.
08:53If you're winning games, everybody's happy.
08:56It's dancing in the locker room and it's a celebration.
08:58But do you think that there's any extra level of frustration from just having veteran guys
09:05having to be playing, not necessarily out of position, but maybe in a position that's
09:11or a style that's more uncomfortable because of the need for the team overall?
09:15Yeah.
09:16And that's the thing.
09:17Like, and these guys have to, all of us check our ego at the door and sometimes we, we have
09:21to play in positions that we just don't, we may not feel comfortable with, but if it's
09:25better for the football team and that's how I think about it, look, there are individuals
09:28in there, individual men, but I have to do what's best for the football team.
09:33And, you know, that's what, that's always been the goal.
09:35And that would be the goal going forward.
09:37How do you get players, because like you said, it is frustrating when you're losing, but
09:41how do you get them and yourself included to make sure that when we say certain things,
09:49it's going to come across a certain way because we're not telling the whole story.
09:54So, so I guess maybe it's like, is that learning lessons for you and this team headed into
10:01next year?
10:02Yeah.
10:03I mean, when we start to say things out of frustration, we have to be careful.
10:05100%.
10:06Once you say things out of frustration, I mean, there's no, there's no taking it back.
10:11So 100%.
10:12Sorry.
10:13And I do think it's important, even a guy like Keon, he's another young guy, you know,
10:19he's been in the league just a handful of years, like he's a young guy and he's learning
10:23on and off the field and how things really affect the team.
10:26How difficult do you think it is having some of the more veteran guys, say like Juwan Bentley,
10:33for example, be absent from the field in keeping the message consistent through the locker
10:40room?
10:41It's been a, it's been a very difficult year, record aside, you know, we lost, we lost some
10:46good leaders as far as playing, thinking about Bentley, David Andrews, you know, those guys
10:52and it is tough.
10:53And at the same time, like our expectation has to be next man up, be ready to go and
10:57be ready to go out there and perform.
10:59And we've done that at times.
11:00And I think the biggest thing for me is just the, you know, we're just inconsistent.
11:05You know, we go out there, we play against the Bills, we lose the game.
11:08I mean, but it was a hard fought game.
11:09And then, you know, the Chargers are a good football team.
11:13They came in here and whooped our tails.
11:15And now it's what we're going to do this upcoming week.
11:18It's the last opportunity we have to do anything.
11:20I know you, I know you get to sit down.
11:22You told us that you get to sit down with Robert and I don't know if Jonathan's in on
11:26those meetings every week, but has there been any conversation because there's so much speculation
11:32going on and about whether or not you'll be coming back, returning, like, do you sit in
11:40those meetings?
11:41And has some of that been told to you on what, because I know you prepare for a game, but
11:46you also still got to be preparing for, okay, what my future holds.
11:49Has there been any conversations from the Crafts on like where they see you in this
11:54team moving forward?
11:56I'm in constant communication with ownership.
11:59We have good conversations.
12:00We have hard conversations, but that's just part of our relationship.
12:03And again, like their expectation is that we get, we need to win football games and
12:07that's what we have to do.
12:08Obviously the focus is on the Bills game Sunday, but there is overarching considerations such
12:15as the draft position.
12:17Is that something that you speak with ownership about, or is it something that's even in consideration
12:21going into game planning?
12:22Look, I would keep all, you know, all those conversations I have with ownership private.
12:27And again, like they're all about winning football games.
12:29So that's my job to get the guys out there ready to go.
12:32So moving forward, obviously there was the, I don't know whether you call it miscommunication
12:38between Romandre and Antonio Gibson, what's your expectations moving forward?
12:43It seemed like Antonio Gibson got the bulk of the carries, Romandre's had some issues
12:49where he's fumbled the ball, even though he did start.
12:52Is this something that moving forward that he's going to have to continue to prove if
12:56he wants to get more playing time or are you guys made the decision that maybe you're leaning
13:00more towards going with Gibson from here on out?
13:02I would say, you know, for this game, all things are still under consideration and,
13:07you know, we'll know as the week goes on.
13:09All right, let's get to our Hellman's Mayo question of the week.
13:13You can purchase Hellman's at your local Walmart or grocery store to add extra deliciousness
13:17and creamy flavor to your game day dishes this football season.
13:21So you spoke after the game and you just reiterated this feeling of an inconsistency with the
13:26team.
13:27One week you do things well, the next week it seems like there's another crop of problems
13:31or some things are better.
13:34What is one thing that you've been able to find that this team does consistently that
13:38you would like to take into the off season and into next season?
13:41I would just say, you know, the overall just mental toughness, the guys, look, it hasn't
13:46been easy.
13:47We've won a few games.
13:48The guys are frustrated, but at the same time, come in every single day ready to work.
13:51And I think that's a huge piece of the puzzle and staying even, you know, amongst all the
13:55noise.
13:56And again, you know, going back to Drake, that's one of his strengths is ignoring the
13:59noise and just wanting to do what's best for the football team.
14:02And we have a lot of guys like that on the team.
14:04Well, I will say this, them Jordan 4s was clean, them joints was white, crispy, clean.
14:10So I mean, even though the outcome wasn't what you wanted, them Jordans was clean.
14:14All right.
14:15Gerard Mayo, head coach of the New England Patriots.
14:19The conversation with the coach is brought to you by Cross Insurance.
14:22Cross Insurance, official insurance broker of the New England Patriots.
14:25Happy holidays.
14:26Happy New Year's.
14:27Thank you so much for joining us on WEI All Season Long.