6 rings & football things: reacting to jerod mayo's coaches breakfast presser
As is tradition at the NFL’s Annual League Meetings, all 32 head coaches held press conferences at the also-annual Coaches Breakfast. For the first time ever, Jerod Mayo took part as the new man in charge of the Patriots.
With a glass of orange juice placed firmly in front of him as his predecessor famously did, Mayo fielded questions for about a half hour from reporters on hand in Orlando. Here are some quotes and nuggets that stood out:
The Krafts will ‘spend the money’.
“Free agency obviously– the media, the fans, everyone wants that big signing but at the same time as we continue to put this team together, I think there has to be a process. It has to be a methodical process and look, when there is a guy that we wanna get, the Krafts have already told us that they’ll spend the money.”
Kayshon Boutte, who was arrested in January in connection to online gambing, is still with the Patriots.
"We're continuing to gather information on that. He's still on the team, and hopefully we can continue to develop this player but really develop him as a man as well going forward.
I think it's important to remember, like some of these guys are very young and they've made mistakes in the past. It's easy to just throw them away but there are certain instances where you're like, 'Alright, I can help this guy out.' I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us out moving forward."
The Patriots, for the first time ever, will wear captains patches on their jerseys in 2024.
“I do believe in having captain's patches.”
All options are on the table at the No. 3 overall pick.
“We sit at a very enviable spot at No. 3 where we could take someone at three or if someone offers a ‘bag’ as we would say, a lot of first-round picks, we definitely have to talk about those things as we continue to put together this team.”
Later: “We’re open to trading the pick. We’re open to taking a guy there.”
Mayo on Drake Maye.
“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the combine. He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability.
Also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. In saying that, when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling. But you also have to look at how low is the floor. I would say a guy like Drake Maye – he has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that’s definitely something we’ve looked at, but he’s definitely going to develop.”
Some clarification on former wide receivers coach Troy Brown’s new role.
“Troy’s still on the staff. He will– he has a skills development role with our staff going forward. He’ll work with the players, he’ll work with the skill players and also work with the scheme and the offensive side of the ball.”
A message to Patriots fans.
“For Patriot fans, look, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that was really built over the last 20 years, but at the same time, hopefully the fans understand that we're trying to build this the right way. And we're trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long-term. I think there's a combination between bringing people in for the short-term, and you also have to think long-term and that's always a hard thing to do.
“I would just ask Patriots fans for patience. Once again there will be players that hit the wire, free agents - guys that are explosive, whatever you want to say – there will be guys in the draft, there will be guys after the draft. So just kind of sit back and let us do our jobs going forward.”
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