Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo addresses the media on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
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Right.
Merry Christmas, Mary Christmas, and happy holidays everyone, you know, definitely the holiday season time to really be around family and really just tell people how much you appreciate them. I always grew up where it wasn't really always about the gifts. Didn't get many gifts as a kid. You know, my kids are growing up totally different than me. But it is what it is, uh.
You know.
My message to the team was, look, this is a huge week as far as being able to compartmentalize or we're in the bill voting. It's all about football when they're outside the building, obviously, they need to spend time with their family, and it's all about family at that time, and being able to do that, I think is good to have a balanced life, you know, thesung the unsung heroes, all the people who are doing the shopping, you know, taking it off of our plates here. So just wanted to give them a shout out because I couldn't imagine right now going into the stores or rapping gifts. Never really been really been my thing moving on. This is a very good football team, a team that honestly reminds me of like the old school way of playing, you know, going out there, playing good defense, solid base technique, you know, being able to stop the run, having those playmakers over there, and offensively, you know, they have a great quarterback in Herbert, but really, you know, this team also up front, they're very talented across the board up front, and I think they work very well together, especially in the run game, you know, and as the weather changes, you know, and they're coming out this way, I expect them to try to run the ball, and especially how we look back week, and so that's the challenge to the players that look, they're gonna come in. Here's no secret, they're gonna want to run the ball, and we have to stop them and make more one dimensional team. Good running backs. Obviously, it is a huge you know, Baltimore raven type of you know flavor to this entire staff and even the players. You know, you look at the backs that they have, you know, a couple of them came from Baltimore. You know, we've you know, we've gone against Greg Roman multiple times. You know, over the years. Is a very good coordinator, you know, very experienced, and he's going to exploit your weaknesses and I think they do a good job with that. Defensively. You know, I've been a fan of this player for for a while. I always you know, he always pops off the off the film is Derwin James. I think, you know, he's just one of those guys that he's a football player, and you can tell by the way that he goes out there and plays, you know, just his energy, enthusiasm, and the rest of the crew kind of follows his lead. In my opinion, not to take anything away from the front guys. You know, they have two very good defensive ends and they have some big guys upfront that do a good job too gaping, but I think it all starts with Derwin, and I think we have to know like where this guy is on every single play. If he's down near the line of scrimmage, like he can absolutely you know, rush and drop from there. If he's in the back half, he can play the deep part of the field as well. So U definitely definitely a very good player. Look for us, you know, we gotta we gotta be able to stay balanced, and we got to stay ahead of the sticks, stay ahead of the chains. And and again this is another opportunity against a team that really don't turn the ball over much, uh, for us to go out there and try to and try to get after it. So fire Away just mention that you run the weather because I'm they're gonna be pretty balanced, is what I would say. I would say they would I don't want to. I don't know what the weather's gonna be. I think it's actually going to be pretty nice. I think the last I checked. But we're good.
Sorry, you're good with the running find fallacy and unas not really struggle on the slats game.
And you sort of two things that keep the game came down to how are you working on that going into this knowing that that's probably.
Something that Yeah, to me, it's about block destruction. It's about tackling. Like the best tacklers I've ever been around always knew where their help was and so, you know, not letting the ball carrier get out to the edge is definitely a huge part of it. And turning it back into the teeth of the defense.
The emotion of the Arizona game versus last week, what did you see as the difference and how do you get that out of your team on a on a weekly.
Basis, because it seemed like they had that passion.
From the start Sunday.
Yeah, I would say the Arizona game, to me, at least from an effort standpoint, was an anomaly. It's not what we put on film as far as effort. Now, have we always played uh, you know, clean games? You know, no, I mean look at our record. But in saying that, I would say they always go out there and play with tremendous effort and that's what showed up last week and it'll show up this week. Look, we're at home. We got to protect you know, protect home home field, and that's the goal.
It's for a number of different guys wearing the green dot since to one went down.
How much of a challenges that ten I would take, Like all of those guys that have had the green dot throughout the year have done a good job in doing it. I mean sometimes I think, you know, we make too much of a big deal about the green dot. I mean literally, a coach is talking to you and you just got to it's like playing a game of telephone and saying that, though the adjustments after that are always difficult. Look, we have some good communicators on defense, you know, you have you know, Dougger of course, and Jelani and Ellis. All those guys have done a pretty good job as far as that is concerned.
Sure, I know each turnover has its own story and perhaps the common link when it comes to to Drake, is there a chance he might be doing trying to do a little too much on some of loose turnovers, or you know, trying to take it upon himself to produce.
So Drake is a competitor and he's always going to try to go out there and make plays. And I think just the way that he's played, you know how well he's played this year. Oftentimes we forget that he's a rookie quarterback and those are those are less is learning. I've been very upfront about this to the intangible with Drake, you know, besides his even demeanor has he's learned from his mistakes and I expect that to continue going forward.
You're right focus this following off what counters talking about in turns to turnovers, I have to turn to fumbling and it's been a tough year for vermondra There's no doubt about it. Well, could you, as a coach want to try to prevent fumbles? Is it a nal thing or is it a technique thing with holding the ball? How do you how do you try to prevent that?
I mean it's a combination of the two. I mean, you have to understand how important that is. And then there's also the you woman to take you through the whole elbow tight, eagle claw, grip, that whole thing. But is there is a there is a technique about it. And then just the overall focus root last year he prepares for.
Jestically for a different offense, different team, a lot of different personnelse what's the biggest difference seeing.
In the Rollment's offense with Harboys. Yeah, I mean, look, I think he's doing a good job protecting the ball. I think, what is it, three interceptions? Something low, But that's I mean, that's what he's doing a great job at and it gives that chance that team a chance to win.
He's still a player on the sideline where John Jones is making the tackle by himself from Shakira and also punches. It seems like that sort of a wall a punch with anybody used to be the second guy coming eat it. Now if you're you're teaching that or is that just an instant.
We always teach that in John Jones over the last few years, has all you know come up with plays like that? He just has a knack for punching at the ball. You know, you always want to make sure that the tackle is secure. I don't want to get away from that. But at the same time, that's, uh, that's something that's been very good at for a while now.
As a player coach, obviously you appreciate and try to get Christmas in there for your players. And was there a favorite gift you got as a kid? Football? Is anything like that?
That was, you know, just to go back to to the gift part. I still remember being a young kid. You know, at the time, I think single parent home, I have a great step dad. Shout out to all the stepdads. But my grandfather bought us mountain bikes and then took us to the BMX track and I was scared to go up the hill. It was almost like my grandfather, you know, not that I was spanking for not going up to hill, but it was one of those types like I better get my butt up to heell. So that's that was one of the That was a great memory. I appreciate you bringing that up. I went up that hill. I went up that hill. That's the easy part. That's the easy part. There was a BMX track like five minutes from my house and we had to ride those new bikes mountain bikes to a BMX track. So all the other kids had their you know, their uh you know, huffies and all that stuff, and we got these big tires on our on our mountain bikes. But it was fun.
Do you have a favorite Christmas movie or your kids that you favorite that.
I'm a huge home along guy.
You know.
It was during my time. And then the big you know, the big debate or back and forth is die hard Christmas movie and I say it is it is what types of things are your kids asking for? I have no clue. And again that's why I started this off, you know, I just want to think. I just want to thank my wife and thank you know, just all the people men and women who go out and do the Christmas shopping and allow you know, their spouse or significant other to focus on what they have to focus on.
Did you believe in did you believe in Santa? And do your kids believe in Santa?
When I was a little kid, now the way I was raised, they wanted to make sure, you know, you knew where those gifts came from. And my kids, you know, I feel like at this point in time, the new generation, they believe more in the l L on the shelf than they do actual Santa Claus and that in itself takes time. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar, like doing the all the creative things with the LF on the shelf, you know, pouring the cereal out in the in the kitchen and throwing toilet paper around the house and moving the l's and there you go, same thing, same thing. The kids love it though, the kids love it.
No, yes, I see a lot of last weeks about comparisons between Drake, Josh Allen. Do you see any Samarians, Key, Drake and Justin Kilberg.
You know, for me, it's it's probably too early to tell. What I would say is you know again, I don't want to get into the comparison thing. I think Drake is on track to be a very special player in this league and hopefully we all get a chance to see it.
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