Patriots' Jerod Mayo on Drake Maye, NFL trade deadline

Patriots

“The trade deadline is a lot of hype.”

A day after the Patriots' overtime loss to the Titans in Tennessee on Sunday, New England head coach Jerod Mayo reiterated some of his postgame comments from the previous day, particularly his praise for rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

“I’m happy for him,” Mayo said of New England’s 2024 first-round pick during his media release Monday morning. “I’m happy for a lot of our young guys. I would say as a group these guys need to continue to go through the ups and downs together and hopefully that builds the resilience of the team. But as far as Drake is concerned, I’m excited about his continued growth.”

Maye orchestrated a last-second touchdown to tie the score and send the game into overtime. His lengthy struggle and off-balance throw to get the ball to teammate Rhamondre Stevenson caused excitement among the New England fan base.

Nevertheless, the Patriots failed in the end and Maye's interception sealed the 20:17 victory for Tennessee.

“Going into overtime, I had a good feeling about our chances,” Mayo told WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” during his second media appearance Monday. “Just didn’t pull it out.”

One of the most interesting decisions in the game came after Maye's heroics at the end of regular time. New England had a choice: try to get the extra point and tie the game (go to overtime), or try to go for the two-point conversion (and the win).

Mayo and the Patriots brain trust chose the more conservative route: concede the extra point and go to overtime. Granted, the Patriots ultimately lost the game.

With hindsight, does Mayo think his team should have tried and won in dramatic circumstances?

“When I go back and watch the film and just see the plays left on the field, I always say it's not always just one play,” Mayo noted in the opening statement of his press conference. “Everyone is going to get stuck on interceptions at the end of the game, or whether they're playing with two or not with two, those are definitely the things I think about a lot in hindsight.”

Mayo was asked a follow-up question by Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston about why he might see things differently in hindsight.

“Because we lost the game,” Mayo replied. “It's that simple: Because we lost the game. Coming back earlier in the season, we chose two. We didn't understand it. You get criticized, and when you score the field goal here, you get criticized. That's why I will always do what I think is best for the team. I think we can talk about analytics and all these things that we use. At the same time there is also a flow in the game. As head coach, the decision and consequences ultimately rest with me.”

During the radio interview, Mayo was also asked about the details of the Patriots' decision-making under these circumstances.

“We always stay one step ahead of the game, and that conversation happened well before the 12-second game,” Mayo said of the possibility of the two-point conversion. “I thought this would be the best thing for our team again. And honestly, either way, if you don't perform the piece, you're going to get criticized. We went for two and didn't get it a few games ago and this time we got the extra point. I felt good. I felt like it was the right thing to do. So it's not like I'm stuck either way. It’s a combination of factors that go into this decision.”

At 2-7, the Patriots seem pretty far removed from any hope of making the playoffs in 2024.

The NFL trade deadline is set for Tuesday, November 5th at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Patriots have already allocated future draft picks to pass rushers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche.

Does Mayo still expect further big steps?

“I think, first of all, this isn’t baseball. In baseball, there are big-name players who move on to other teams,” Mayo told WEEI. “I would say historically, even as a player and now as a coach, the trade deadline is a lot of hype.

“Now who’s going to move a starting quarterback to another team? Who will move a starting left tackle? I mean, that rarely happens.”