Head Coach Jerod Mayo Discusses Week 15 Loss to Cardinals on WEEI 12/16

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Pats from the Past. Tune in as Matt Smith and Paul Perillo offer in-depth interviews with some of the greatest players and coaches in New England Patriots history.

SPEAKER_2 (0:07)

Joined by the newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Mike Raeble.

SPEAKER_1 (0:10)

Find out what led to some of the greatest moments in franchise history and unique behind-the-scenes insights.

SPEAKER_2 (0:15)

And pleased to be joined by former Patriot quarterback Brian Hoyer. Joined by number 37 on your scorecard, but number one in our hearts at least, Rodney Harrison.

SPEAKER_3 (0:23)

Good to be home, good to see you guys.

SPEAKER_1 (0:25)

Search for Pats from the Past anywhere you get your podcast.

SPEAKER_2 (0:30)

Hello, Coach.

Jerod Mayo (0:31)

How are you?

SPEAKER_5 (0:31)

I'm good.

SPEAKER_6 (0:32)

How are you?

Jerod Mayo (0:33)

I'm seeing better Mondays.

SPEAKER_5 (0:35)

You came in a little hot this morning.

SPEAKER_3 (0:37)

I don't know if you know.

Jerod Mayo (0:38)

I did come in hot this morning because the remark that I made last night, like you said, I didn't mean anything by it, maybe a flippant response. And I tried to clarify that with the next question saying, ultimately, it's my decision. Ultimately, all of those decisions, offensively, defensively and specialty didn't fall on me. And so I just want to get that out there.

SPEAKER_5 (0:59)

Yeah. I think, I guess, there's some who feel like there's this narrative out there that at times you are pointing the finger in different directions when it comes to the result, not being what it could be.

Jerod Mayo (1:14)

Like what?

SPEAKER_5 (1:16)

I like people point to you in your, the infamous soft player comment, soft team comment. The I can't.

Jerod Mayo (1:24)

Now everyone says that.

SPEAKER_5 (1:25)

It's, you're out of curve.

Jerod Mayo (1:28)

Yeah, I'm just saying, that's, I mean.

SPEAKER_5 (1:30)

You know, I can't coach these guys when they're out there on the field, but it's on them when they get out there.

Jerod Mayo (1:34)

Like that, that, And those are things that the players have heard me say, who ultimately that's who I care about the most. I have said that since I was a position coach, the exact same thing. So, you know, I mean, it's the world we live in, and it's a different seat that I'm sitting in. I understand that, and people are going to take it how they want to take it. When I'm talking to football players, the guys in that room, the men in that room, they understand when I say, look, you're on the field, I'm not. Like, I try to give you the tools, go out there and use them. And the results sometimes, we would have won the game, going back to that statement, then everyone would have been like, oh yeah, the players went out there and got it done. But we unfortunately lost the game, and it's me throwing them under the bus, which is not true.

SPEAKER_5 (2:14)

So your intent was not to throw Alex Van Pelt under the bus. Did you speak to him afterwards?

Jerod Mayo (2:20)

I did speak to him. I spoke to him this morning, because I didn't even think about that it was gonna be a big story today. I spoke to him this morning, and he's just like, yeah, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_5 (2:29)

Whatever.

Jerod Mayo (2:30)

He's like, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_5 (2:31)

Yeah. So your intent was to say what?

Jerod Mayo (2:35)

So there was no... Look, he asked the question. I didn't want to go down the rabbit hole of trying to explain for the next 10 minutes after we just lost the game about how that whole process went down. I just said, you said it, to try to end the question. And look, I shouldn't have done that. And again, just like I tell the players, I'm still learning how those things work.

SPEAKER_5 (2:54)

I think the great thing that we get to do with you is try to clear up some of these names.

Jerod Mayo (2:57)

No, and I appreciate it. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_5 (2:59)

Like, how involved are you in the offensive plan?

Jerod Mayo (3:02)

Look, I'm in there when they're putting the game plan in. I try to spend more time defensively, obviously, because that's my forte. And then, look, we all, at the end of the day, after we get through on Fridays of ironing everything out, we're all on the same page and we work together well as a staff.

SPEAKER_7 (3:21)

Jerod, to go even a little further, like game day operation, you know, being, seeing from kind of how it works in the inside, are there times where you'll say, hey, run a QB sneak here or let's take a shot or are you more like letting Alex Van Pelt put in his hands where you might say, hey, let's be a little bit aggressive here and then he decides what he wants to come up or are you actually giving it some input on maybe specific plays that you might want to see?