Opening statement:
“Good morning. Happy to be here. First time, it’s a lot. But I’m excited for the opportunity to speak with you guys and hopefully you come out of here with some clarity as far as our strategy is concerned, and as far as our team-building is concerned. Fire away.
Maybe just start with that: Is there a clarity you would begin with?
“The clarity I would begin with is free agency – 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. Look, when there is a guy we want to get, the Krafts have already told us they’ll spend the money. I would say offensively this year, we were very picky as far as the players we were getting. At the same time, that wasn’t really a deep offensive free-agent class to even make that type of splash. Now in saying that, the draft is coming up. There will still be conversations as far as trades and things like that. And guys will be released. So this is a process that’s going to go on all the way until after the draft.”
Is it frustrating at all to have the conversation that ‘we’re going to do a number of things to weaponize the offense’ and then see the shelves aren’t really stocked with the things we need?
“It is frustrating but at the same time, one of the No. 1 priorities we had was to sign our players back. I think it’s not a popular pick to sign an offensive lineman to a big deal, but at the same time, he’s a critical piece to our team. We want to take care of our own and I think that was the strategy going into it. We did have targets that we wanted that it just didn’t work out. But when it’s all said and done, we want guys that want to be a part of this process, that want to be a part of the next chapter in New England history.”
A lot of people have clung on to your statement about ‘burn some cash’…
“That was a terrible;
Do you regret that?
“No, I don’t regret it. Look, I’m a first-year head coach. I didn’t mean like ‘burn some cash’. I know we have a lot of cash to utilize but we are going to utilize it the right way. We have to be very convicted when we do spend that cash. Ownership has done a good job letting Eliot and I know that we have the cash to spend; just try to spend it smartly.”
When you look at your team, do you consider it a four-win team? Or as Bill Parcells would say, ‘you are what your record says you are’?
“Honestly, this team is going to look different than last year’s team. Even if you were to look at last year, I would say there were opportunities to win more than four games and we just fell short. Look, we’ll see as the team continues to come together how many wins. I can’t give you a prediction of how many wins we’ll have. What I will say is that we’ll put a competitive team out there on the field – not only on the field, but off the field. That’s what we’re trying to do in New England.”
When you look at the roster, it looks like there are still needs at quarterback, wide receiver and tackle. Are you confident you can still fill those before the season?
“I’m confident we can absolutely fill those roles. In saying that, though, it’s going to take time. Our philosophy as far as putting this roster together – look, you want to draft and develop. I have 100% confidence in Eliot and his staff ‘weaponizing’ the offense and really getting us better as an overall team. I know everyone wants to talk about the offense, but one thing you guys have heard from BB and I’ve learned from Bill is all three phases are very important and playing that complementary football is definitely something Eliot understands, I understand and the rest of the staff.”
How much pressure do you feel there is on this draft class, when talking about filling needs at left tackle, receiver, quarterback? Those are 3 needs that can be tough to fill.
“Honestly, those three positions that you just spoke of, I would say this draft has quite a few guys that can fill those roles. We sit at a very enviable spot at number 3, where we could take someone at 3, 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. You said it, there are holes on this team. But I would also say there will be people available going forward to fill those holes.”
How open are you trading No. 3? Does Eliot not being here complicate things?
“We are open to trading the pick. We’re open to taking a guy there. The crazy thing is, we have telephones at this point. Eliot didn’t come because he’s doing a lot of work back home. I don’t say that to be disrespectful, but I would say, he’s doing a lot. He’s working. His staff is working through the weekends. Honestly, I would rather him be doing that than sitting here right now.”
When you look at how Mac’s tenure with the Patriots ended, what did you learn from that experience and what will you apply going forward to potentially drafting another quarterback?
“Mac Jones came in and had a lot of success early on. We always talk about that jump from year one to year two and how significant that year is, or that bridge is to year two. I would say it was a combination of things that really kind of hindered that growth in the second year. One thing I did learn about that process: As you continue to develop a quarterback, it’s not only the players you put around him, but also the coaches that you put around this guy. Not only the coaches, but it can go all the way to the ops teams and things like that – to support a guy who plays the most important position in sports; and to ask him as a rookie to come in is always going to be tough. You get to Year 2, you want to see that jump. You get to Year 3 and you would want to see success like it’s a straight line, but realistically that’s not what it is. It’s like a bunch of ups and downs. I think just supporting a quarterback is one of the biggest things. I would also say this – bringing a guy like Jacoby in, he’s definitely a starter in this league. I would also say he’s a good mentor to quarterbacks across the league.”
Do you feel the roster and staff, as currently constructed, is ready to support a rookie quarterback?
“100%. I feel very good about the staff we have. We have guys – T.C. [McCartney], AVP, even McAdoo; all guys that bring a certain skill-set to the quarterback position. Now the balance is he needs to hear that one voice. And what happens sometimes with younger quarterbacks, they have their quarterback guru, they have their quarterback coach, most offensive coordinators are quarterback coaches. So, look, those guys have worked together in the past and they’re on the same page to support any quarterback we bring in.”
What do you like about Drake Maye from the time you spent with him?
“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.”
In keeping with that, when you’re at 3 overall and it’s a draft like it is this year, you could have an opportunity to ‘instead of having a guy who has a high ceiling who might need work and be really good, you could move down and hit two other spots in the first round – wide receiver and left tackle’.
“100%. I know everyone likes to think they have the special formula to picking players but honestly the guaranteed way to win is to accumulate more picks. So if we don’t feel convicted at No. 3, to your point, we are willing to do that as well.”
Since we asked you about Drake Maye, I feel we also have to ask you about Jayden Daniels. Have you met with him? What was it like? What do you think so far?
“Yeah, so Jayden Daniels, I was on a zoom with him. I met him before. Those guys have pro days coming up here soon When you think about the process; when I leave here, I’m going to LSU. When I leave LSU, I’m going to Carolina before I get back home. But you have to do your due diligence. It’s not all about me. It’s not all about Eliot. Which you guys have heard me say a lot – it’s about collaboration. One thing Alonzo Highsmith, one of our scouts, told me — and I truly believe it; he’s been doing it for a long time and he said all the bad picks he’s seen, it’s really been where everyone wasn’t on the same page. You would hope you could get everyone on the same page – coaches and also scouts. If you have one person drafting, that’s not [good].”
You’ve talked about quarterbacks with the number 3 pick. Do you view that as a three-man race at quarterback, or is J.J. McCarthy part of that conversation as well?
“Look, let me tell you, when I first started watching these guys it was that three-man race. Now, as you continue to go to the pro days and bringing guys in on the ‘30’ visits and having time to spend with those guys and really get to know what makes them tick, it’s about 5 guys, honestly, that could come in and be a solid quarterback in the future.”
When you’re the head coach, you’re going to have a say when you pick the quarterback. What are you looking for in a quarterback when you go to a pro day and meet with these guys?
“That’s a great question. Look, we have the quarterback guys that are going to be there to talk about mechanics and things like that. That’s not my expertise. One thing you want from a quarterback, my No. 1 thing, is a good decision-maker. That’s first and foremost. I would say one of the things that often gets lost is just competitiveness and toughness. So you see some of the top quarterbacks in the league, those guys get smacked and get right back up; the offensive linemen help them up. I think that is very important when you’re scouting this position. The competitor, like Tom [Brady]. The toughness, you see guys like Joe Burrow, he gets smacked and gets right back up, it’s pretty impressive. But it also sends that subliminal message to the rest of the team like ‘I’m here with you. I’m going to get hit and I’m going to get back up and we have to continue to go as we go forward.’”
[spills orange juice … that’s called a joke gone wrong]
What led you guys to Jacoby Brissett?
“Jacoby, first of all, he’s a known entity. He’s a guy that’s been here before. Secondly, he’s worked with a lot of guys on our staff currently. So any time you can get a player that is also a coach, is beneficial. He’s going to help as far as the installs and things like that. And look, he has the tools to be a good quarterback. So look forward to working with him.
You mentioned 5 quarterbacks. We touched on 3. Caleb Williams, I assume, is in that group. Who is the fifth guy?
“Look, I don’t want to sit here and give you names. But I would say there are about 5 or 6 guys that are very impressive. They all bring a certain skillset to the table. They are all skillsets you want to see out of a player.”
What surprised you personally about doing this job since January?
“Honestly, the lack of just the X’s and O’s. The scheme stuff. You put your coaching staff together. You get your scouting staff together. You figure out how things work behind the scenes. It’s been very interesting. One of the things that really surprise me is just the lack of talk about scheme with the coaches. Once again, I have tremendous, tremendous confidence in our coordinators and staff, and those guys have been doing that stuff. I’ve been working more with Eliot and his staff to try to put this team together.”
Is that a case where you haven’t had time to really get deep on it?
“Yeah, as far as scheme. When we’re watching film now, it’s really with the scout hat on. So when you have that scout hat on, you’re not really thinking ‘all right, it’s the 4.25 or any of that stuff as far as Xs and Os’. It’s more about the individual player.”
You talked about the importance of retaining your own guys. Is Christian Barmore someone you’d like to keep around long-term and have you approached him about an extension at this point?
“One thing with Barmore, he’s one of those players, he’s developed here. There were some questions coming out of college, obviously, with his potential. He’s done a fantastic job, really, growing up. I think DeMarcus [Covington] and Joe Kim have done a good job really helping develop him. Look, once again, it goes back to ‘we want to keep our own.’ We want to keep our own players. And we have had talks with Barmore and hopefully it works out.”
For the first time in a decade, there were more defensive guys hired as head coaches in the NFL than offensive guys. Was there a point in this process when you ever wondered that, for a trend, was ever going to swing back the other way? What do you think caused it?
“I never really thought about that. One thing I will say about defensive coaches. Let me talk about the head-coaching role itself – a position coach is a lot different than a defensive coordinator. A coordinator – that role is different than a head coach. One thing I would say, I’ve been around a lot of good leaders in my life. Obviously, Bill being one of those guys. Defensive guys. Special teams guys. You look at Mike Tomlin. You look at Raheem [Morris]. You look at all these guys that are really just great leaders. We can sit here and say ‘Are they going to call the plays? Are they not going to call the plays?’ I think the more important thing is how do we get everyone in the organization really going the right way. I wanted to be here in New England. This is the place I’ve always wanted to be. I played here. My family is here. I was just waiting for my opportunity. I didn’t know when that opportunity would come, but it came and I’m excited to have it.”
You pursued Calvin Ridley and obviously it didn’t work out. How difficult will it be to ‘weaponize’ the offense and find that guy because obviously it’s not easy to acquire?
“That’s right. One thing I would say, as you go through the draft, you want to get guys that are magnets. I played with the ultimate magnet in Tom Brady, where guys wanted to play for Tom, with Tom, and with the team. So it kind of gets skewed and now it’s the other end of the spectrum and it’s like ‘what pieces do we have to attract those outside guys.’ Once again, if we draft a guy, you’re coming here. That has to be our philosophy as we continue to put this thing together.”
Did you find that was a struggle in free agency when you look at the guys you targeted and didn’t sign? Were there any commonalities about they didn’t sign because of ‘X’ and was that magnetism part of it?
“I would say there were various reasons why guys didn’t sign with us. Once again, the unknown is scary for a lot of people. I would say, even in our building right now, it’s still unknown. Will I be a good head coach? I don’t know. Hopefully. I think I can be. Will Eliot be a good GM, or whatever he is in his role? I don’t know. We’ll see what happens with that. Look, it’s going to be a process. Once again, you guys, even sitting around this table, there will be times you have to ask me hard questions. Right now, we’re 0-0. We’re still in the honeymoon phase and you guys are throwing up these softballs. But I understand what I’m getting myself in to as we continue to go down this trail.”
Do you feel like you have to rebuild the organization to the point it will once again be a destination for free agents?
“100%. The goal is always to have players want to come to your organization. That is absolutely a process. We’re thinking about those things. Once again, the Krafts have given us the ability to really, I don’t want to say modernize, but to really do the things we want to do going forward to bring people in. Which I think is important.”
Did you meet with many players on the current roster yet?
“Some of them walk through the building, and honestly, as the head coach, I’m always hesitant to even have any type of conversations. ‘Are we in the tampering zone or not?’ I just need those rules right here. I’m not doing anything. But in passing, just saying hi.”
You mentioned who knows what type of head coach you will be. And what Eliot will be. What have you seen from Eliot – who is entrusted with an immense responsibility here – that gives you confidence he’s the right person to do this?
“I would say overall, his steadiness. Eliot has a great attitude and mentality to not only picking players but also the staff. He was very influential in putting together the coaching staff as well. I’ve been watching him from afar for a couple years now and it’s really jelled nicely. In saying that, his dad is a Hall of Fame scout, so it’s not all just here in New England. I think he brings a fresh perspective as we continue to build.”
Have you met his dad?
“I have. He’s come in once or twice. Two years ago and I think last year.”
He hasn’t been around lately?
“Right now, honestly. Look, we want to have – not an open-door policy – but at the same time we’re in a room all day just really going through players. I don’t think that’s something he would want to do right now. But going forward, that is someone you would hope to bring in to help develop people. So I think continuing to have that growth mindset going forward is huge.”
You showed you were willing to invest in wide receiver. Could you still be active on the trade market? Or is the draft more likely?
“100% We’re still open on the trade market. But I would say this is a pretty good class as far as receivers are concerned. So it’s all on the table right now. Hopefully as we continue to get closer to the draft, Eliot is fielding calls, the scouts are fielding calls, it starts to be a clearer picture.”
Do you think it’s wise to take a quarterback in the top 3 if you don’t necessarily have the support system? I did a real thing and went back; there’s only 2 quarterbacks that won a Super Bowl who have been taken in the top 3 since 1998 – both had the last name Manning. It’s hard with a top-3 quarterback. You look at [Patrick] Mahomes. Jalen Hurts. Lamar Jackson. Even Justin Herbert – had a really good network of offensive players around him. So do you see the merit in perhaps building around the position?
“Absolutely. Once again, if we take a quarterback at 3, that means we are convicted this player is really the future of this organization. Going back to your point that we kind of said earlier, there are multiple pieces on this team as a whole that we want to fill those holes. So if you can gather more picks, that definitely helps you out. If you put more chips on the table – I probably shouldn’t have done a gambling reference right there – but the more picks you really have, the more likelihood you have to really hit on them.”
If you do trade back, would you look at it like ‘let’s just stockpile as many [first-round picks] and we can get our guy next year’ and just ignore quarterback in the draft this year? Trust Jacoby and then target a quarterback next year?
“Yeah, those conversations are still ongoing. When it’s all said and done, it will be between ownership, Eliot and myself. And we’ll see where we get.”
Of course, you have to be cognizant that if you pass on a guy at 3 and he turns in to a future franchise quarterback, that will be a question we’ll be asking: Why did you pass on so-and-so?
“Yeah, and honestly, hindsight is always going to be 20-20. I wish I had that crystal ball. You never really know. You’re going to find gems throughout the draft. Once again, as we continue to go through the process and look at these players, really it’s about trying to find those gems later in the draft. Now, sitting at No. 3, is very unique. Because whatever happens at 1 and 2 – if you’re convicted on, let’s say 3 or 4 quarterbacks – then I feel like we’re in a good position.”
You’re one month away from the draft exactly today. I know you still have to go to the pro days, and there will be ‘30’ visits, possibly, with some of these guys. Most of the hay is in the barn as far as tape study and combine work. What do you need to know specifically, or learn, over the next month to complete the scouting process?
“You’re exactly right. There is no new film. Sometimes when people do all their reviews of players – I;m saying in the media – there is really no new information. But we continue to move guys all over the mock drafts and things like that. From a coaches’ perspective, there is new information. We have spent hours and hours with these guys by the time we get to the draft. So I don’t want to say the hay is in the barn. I think we still have a lot of work to do on all the quarterbacks in the draft, and really Eliot and his team will lead that effort.”
What is some of that work specifically?
“That work is ‘how does this guy learn? How does this guy deal with adversity?’ Once again, you can go back to the film and kind of gauge retention. ‘What does he remember about this game here?’ As they continue to talk, and it continues to come together, that’s always the information that is added to what [we’ve done].”
As of today, who would compete at left tackle?
“You look at our roster, we brought in Chuks [Chukwuma Okorafor]. Look, we’ll see when we put the pads on. It’s going to be tough. We have options. You would hope those young guys we have on the team also kind of take that year 1 to year 2 jump. Look, Scotty Peters and their staff – they’re charged with developing players. And our roster will change before we even get to the draft, so it’s kind of a hard question to really answer.”
[Mike] Onwenu at right tackle?
“That’s where he’ll start, but once again, ‘Big Mike’ can play multiple positions. He can play guard. He can play right tackle. He can play left tackle. But that’s one of those things that we have to have those conversations going forward.”
Marte Mapu – what position should we expect him?
“He’s one of those guys that we talk about ‘versatility’. He can play ‘big star’. He can play safety. And he can also play linebacker. Now, he’ll start in the safety room and we’ll work our way down from there.”
Talking about pick 3 being a unique position; do you have a sense of what Washington will do at 2. How much will you try to figure that out?
“Honestly, we have no clue. I don’t think anyone in here knows exactly what Washington is going to do. I think everyone knows what Chicago is going to do at 1. But the rest of it honestly is just up in the air. When you see these other teams making moves, acquiring pieces to move, we can sit here and say ‘Washington’ today. But that could be somebody else on draft day, so I don’t want to speculate on that.”
Last time we talked with you, I think you mentioned Troy Brown was still with the staff. Can you clarify what his role will be?
“Troy is still on the staff. He has a skills develop role with our staff going forward. He’ll work with the skill players. And also work with the scheme and the offensive side of the ball. So he’s still with us.”
You mentioned the need to be aligned with a top pick. As far as where things stand today – understanding you have a lot of work to do on these quarterbacks – how aligned would you say you are with Eliot in how you view the top quarterbacks?
“Yeah, I would just say, as a whole, it’s not just Eliot and myself. Once again, going back to collaboration. Look, we have great scouts across the board where everyone has their different opinions. So you want to start with hearing those options. But at some time you have to kind of shrink the group and come to some common ground. We’re close.”
What is ownership’s role in picking the quarterback? You mentioned they would have input with Eliot.
“Yeah, honestly, once again, just how we hired Eliot, it’s the same thing. They don’t want to be involved in football decisions. They have given us the tools to go out there and get the guys we want. They’ve given us the backing, or the confidence, to go out there and be aggressive if we are convicted on a player. But at the end of the day, they don’t want to be involved with football decisions.”
Would they have a role in maybe playing devil’s advocate? They have to have some kind of role – ‘if you pass on this guy, then ‘x’, ‘y’ and ‘z’.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. This is my first draft as a head coach. Seriously, I’m really not sure. But one thing I will say is that the Kraft family and ownership have given us the ability to go out there and offer big contracts. To go out there and take a quarterback at 3. To go out there and move down. So all of those things are up in the air. It’s their team. But they have entrusted myself, and Eliot, to really kind of put this thing back together.”
It was reported that you will start the voluntary offseason program on April 8. Is that correct?
“That’s correct.”
You could start April 1. Why leave a week on the table when starting a new program?
“There’s still going to be time to put this team together. I think as the staff continues to gel – not only on the coaching side but also on the scouting side; as the team continues to gel, I just want to make sure that we as coaches are all on the same page before we go to the players. We’ve been a part of situations where you bring these different coaches in, and this guy has one philosophy, and this guy has another philosophy. I just wanted to make sure that the coaches, and the staff, that we’re all on the same page going forward. And look, once again, you don’t win games in the spring. But you can lose them. I don’t want to fall into that trap. I want to make sure we’re all pulling in the same direction.”
I believe you have about 20 open roster spots right now. Do you know how many you want to devote to rookies? How many undrafted rookies?
“Honestly, that’s an Eliot question. I don’t even want to go down that road. I’ll leave it for the expert.”
What is Kayshon Boutte’s status with the team right now, as he has a legal situation going on?
“Yeah, we’re continuing to gather information on that. He is still on the team, and hopefully we can continue to develop this player, and really develop him as a man as well going forward. I think it’s important to remember, 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, ‘All right, I can help this guy out. I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us out going forward.”
You mentioned the ‘30’ visits with quarterbacks. Do you have those planned with Drake [Maye], Jayden [Daniels] and J.J. [McCarthy]?
“I’m pretty sure all three of them will be in.”
Since you’ve gotten the job, is there anyone that has called you where you’ve been like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that guy called me’?
“Someone told me that Andy Reid wanted my phone number and I was like ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool.’ And then his wife caught me on the elevator and she’s like, ‘You’re so hard to get into contact with!’ I was like, ‘Man!’ She had her rings on everything. I was like, ‘I have to get back to [him].’ Honestly, I respect the position of head coach. I respect the position of coaches – NFL, college, high school. There are some good high school coaches that if they called, I would be like ‘Wow, that’s pretty cool.’ First and foremost, I’m a fan of football. I’m a fan of players. I’m a fan of coaches. I just love being around the game.”
This is a little outside the hash marks, but go back to the early 1990s, Bill Parcells came in as head coach, and the Patriots actually changed their logo. It was part of a new identity. You’re coming in after 24 years of Belichick – is there anything you want to do: New uniform, obviously not a new logo, captains patches, the number zero. Anything that you’ve thought of that reflects a new beginning?
“Just to say one thing, I do believe in having captains patches. That’s one thing. Another thing, and just like we did the happy hour with our local media members, I think it’s important that you guys get an opportunity to see what we’ve changed inside the building. Going back to the investment that the Kraft family have given us to change things in the building, I do think it would be beneficial to be able to walk through the building and see the changes we’ve made.”
Weight room stuff. I’m thinking about that NFLPA survey – the weight room sounded like it needed an update. Maybe it’s not a question for you, but what do you see from that?
“Look, the report card, I think it’s very important. I think it reminds staffs and owners of things we need to improve on. Going forward, the Kraft family – once again, when you see a grade that’s not favorable – it does bring attention to it. In saying that, we put together a group that is really going to try to attack some of the problems – or some of the things we’ve seen on the report card. But once again, it’s going to take time to improve those things.”
Anything specific on that standing out to you? Or is it too early? Like the day-care stuff [for players on game day] was one of the things I saw?
“Those are definitely things that are on the table. I think the better we take care of families, the more likely it is for our players to go out there and play free. Same thing with the coaches. It’s definitely important. I also think when you look at the report card, when those guys did the report card, it was pretty early in the season. So it’s easy to overreact to some of those type of grades, depending on really how the season is going. To me, the better way would be ‘early in the season’ [then] ‘middle of the season’ [then] ‘end of the season’ to really put those scores together. But in saying that, it does bring attention to things we’re trying to improve.”
You mentioned knocking down silos in your opening press conference. It’s been almost 2 ½ months now. Can you give us an example of doing that?
“Really, that’s for us internally. But I would like to believe that when you do get a chance to talk to the scouts, or talk to the coaches, they will really articulate the goal that I have going forward.”
Jerod, what would you say to Patriots fans who look at last year – four wins – and not bringing in a lot of game-changers in this offseason despite having the cap space. A lot of them are frustrated. A lot of them are angry. What would you say to those Patriots fans?
“Patriot fans, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that has been 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 of bringing people in for the short-term, but also, you have to think long-term. That’s always the hard thing to do. I would just ask Patriot 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 sit back and kind of let us do our job going forward.”
Mike Reiss 