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00:00We're joined here in studio by Drake Mays, brought to you by Northeast Men's Health,
00:04the experts in treating men's sexual health with five New England offices or northeastmenshealth.com
00:09and by Cardi's Furniture and Mattresses. Get next day delivery with removal and disposal
00:13at Cardi's Furniture and Mattresses. Drake, how are we doing this week?
00:16What's going on? How are you feeling? How's the body? How's the head? How's everything?
00:20Yeah, feeling pretty good. You know, I came out of the game feeling all right. You know,
00:23I think that's the best thing. I think we're all pretty healthy as a team and
00:26we got to get, I got to find a way to win. You know, we came up short and
00:30looking forward to trying to get another chance next week.
00:31Can you add some clarity to how last week went for you in terms of the protocol? I know you
00:36made a comment post-game about maybe you stumbled in the balance test with the turf and the cleats.
00:42Can you just take us through whatever the hell happened last week?
00:45Yeah, I think, you know, the spotter got me from up top and then from there, you know,
00:50was kind of going through the testing on the sideline. They kind of doomed. I wasn't good
00:54to go back and from there was just trying to find a way to get back. I wanted to go back out there,
00:59you know, last Sunday. I'm just trying my hardest to get back out there this week
01:03and I got through the protocol. I did some testing this week, but just glad I got to
01:06get back out there and compete with the guys. Have you had concussions before,
01:09like in college or high school or anything? Not reported, so not that I'd know.
01:13Okay, well, I mean, you'd know if you felt it again, I guess is the point. Like,
01:16did you think you had one? I think I definitely took a hit to the head. You know, I'm not 100%
01:22sure of, you know, the testing. I think what the NFL does is, you know, to protect those quarterbacks
01:27and obviously recently with what's happened with some of the quarterbacks around the league getting
01:30hit in the head, it's emphasis for them. So, I think it's up to them and I think they do a good
01:35job protecting us and the protocol is a great way for players to really see like if they're
01:39ready to go back out there and play. You know, I saw this past Sunday, I was good to go.
01:43Speaking of protecting quarterbacks, a lot of places teach sliding and you obviously got hit
01:47on a slide from behind sort of late. We've seen guys get hit front, back, side, late slides.
01:53Have you, did you change anything this week? We didn't see any slides. Are you maybe evaluating
01:57it's safer to go head first, safer to kind of go forward? Yeah, you know, I think, you know,
02:02I think the organization and especially the Offense Society coaches are doing a good job of,
02:07hey, you know, harping on, hey, you know, in certain situations, you know, when it's best to
02:10go head first, when it's best to kind of slide. I think I slid once and maybe should've gone head
02:15first there, but I'm just trying to protect my body and protect, you know, me being out there
02:20for the team. And, you know, the coaches do a nice job of emphasizing it and they know that,
02:24you know, it's a big deal. So, you know, I'm not really worried. I'm going to keep playing the same
02:28way as I, you know, as I, you know, we're out there every Sunday. I'm not going to change the
02:31play that I am. And I think when you're one with the safety on that first run and you kind of got
02:36to, you know, where the hits coming from, it's a little different. So, I mean, there's different
02:40scenarios and it's really hard to play, you know, and kind of play them all out. So, it's supposed
02:44to be a decision for me and when it's third down or, you know, you got to have it over that last
02:48drive, I'm going to, you know, give what I can and I'm using, you know, a big 6'5 dude. So.
02:53Before we get on to any more football questions, what do you think of the new set? What do you
02:56think of the chairs here instead of the desk? Did you even notice it was different?
02:59Oh, yeah, I did. I kind of like the other set up a little better.
03:02You like it better? This is a lot more like, you know, like we're all right on top of each other.
03:05I feel like we should have a beer though.
03:08Like a club or something.
03:09It's a little, it's a little.
03:10Feel like bottle service coming over.
03:12Yeah, it is a little tight. I asked, I was like, how's he going to get in?
03:15If he trips and gets hurt in here, I'm not taking the blame for it.
03:17Oh, we definitely take the blame for that. 100%. You know that we would.
03:21All right. So, with that out of the way, you're in the protocol during the week.
03:25You're limited in practice. Were you at all concerned that not being able to
03:29complete all the practices and get all the reps this week in practice might
03:33reveal itself somehow during the game?
03:36No, I don't think so. You know, I think you're behind there watching practice.
03:40First Wednesday, we got 30 minutes and you use those 30 minutes wisely.
03:43You know, in reps where, you know, you're not, I'm not getting touched anyway as a quarterback.
03:47So I think it's a little easier for quarterbacks to go through the protocol.
03:49I mean, you're not getting touching your red jersey out there regardless.
03:52So I really wasn't really worried.
03:54I feel like I had a good, good two days of practice Thursday and Friday out there with
03:58the guys and then it felt good going into the game.
04:00Okay. So we've sort of buried the lead here.
04:02You had a play yesterday that was kind of the talk of the football world.
04:0511.82 seconds on that throw.
04:08That ended up being the touchdown to Armandre Stevenson.
04:11Take us through what is going through your mind when you are moving left, right, forward, up.
04:15It was, that's a long time before you throw a football in the red zone.
04:19Yeah, I think I missed Hunter probably in the first, you know, second or two in the back,
04:23you know, back end zone on the, on the end line.
04:25So probably could have had that play over a lot faster.
04:28That wouldn't have been cool though.
04:29But yeah, they dropped, you know, dropped cover two down there and they dropped the
04:32popper out too.
04:32So they really dropped, dropped, dropped eight and rushed three.
04:35So just trying to, you know, find a way to keep the play alive.
04:37You know, once I missed Hunter in the back and then Hunter ended up stepping out of bounds.
04:40So it was good for him.
04:41You know, he had the, you know, point wave to me, not throw to me at one point.
04:46So just trying to stay alive.
04:47I think Armandre did a nice job of playing that receiver and credit to those guys, you
04:51know, up front for continuing to fight through the play and those guys and the receivers
04:54and running backs just trying to find a way to make a play.
04:57The longer it goes, are you reaching oh crap status or do you feel like,
05:01well, they're going to let somebody open up sooner or later?
05:03Yeah, I think it's more of a, hey, somebody's gonna pop up in here soon.
05:06You know, I think you just got to fade some, some defenders sometimes.
05:08And Armandre made a nice play.
05:10Yeah, that was a tremendous play.
05:12I mean, it's really going to be one of those ones that people talk about all year.
05:15I know it was a play that happened in a loss.
05:18But in terms of your, you know, three starts that you made so far,
05:20does that one kind of stand out?
05:22Is that, I mean, that was a big moment.
05:23Zeroes on the clock like that, that had to feel good.
05:26Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, sitting at the overtime and, you know, getting those
05:29guys down there for, you know, a big drive to, you know, extend the game was huge.
05:32But obviously at the end of the day, we didn't win the football game.
05:34That's the, that's the disappointing factor.
05:36Did you want to go for two there?
05:37Were you ready to go for two there?
05:39I was just trying to catch my breath.
05:40I think it was, it was tough.
05:41So much emotion and, you know, so much energy that we brought on that long drive.
05:46You know, I think we only started the 50, it was like 11 or 12 plays.
05:49So I was just, you know, so tired and exhausted from just, I think I ran
05:53to the sideline right after that.
05:54So I think it's, in hindsight, it's easy to look back and say, you know, after a loss.
05:58But I think we made the right decision.
06:00Was there debate?
06:00Was there guys on the sideline saying, come on, let's go for two, let's do it, let's do it.
06:03And Mayo shut it down or what?
06:04I don't remember anything like that.
06:07I think, I think in that scenario, I think we play for overtime.
06:11Our defense will be on the sideline, you know, so, you know, the way the coaches decide,
06:14I think, looking back, I think, you know, I would do the same thing.
06:17So I think it's a, it's a hindsight.
06:19Either way you look at it, if we go for it, we don't win.
06:22And everybody's like, what are we doing?
06:23So I think I was so exhausted just getting to the sideline, trying to get my, catch my breath.
06:28On the play that ended the game, I think you called it a dumb decision
06:32last night in your postgame press conference.
06:34A couple of questions there on specifics.
06:36Did Kendrick Bourne falling down affect that?
06:39Do you think that safety was able to leave him and maybe create a problem you didn't see?
06:44And how much did wind play a factor in maybe it being underthrown?
06:48Yeah, I think KB, you know, maybe, you know, it's hard to kind of predict that.
06:53Maybe it could have held the safety a little more.
06:54But, you know, I think I still, you know, I think, you know, my wind answer,
06:58what I said last night was kind of off of reaction.
07:01I don't think, you know, wind with the quarterback and
07:03I don't think it plays that big a factor.
07:04So really, I think it just underthrew it.
07:06I got to put it out there more for Booty and let him go make a play.
07:10So really, I think this is my decision making.
07:12And maybe sometimes maybe throw it away, throw it away there.
07:15Or if not, you know, from our opposite forward,
07:18maybe try to throw in the end zone and have a, you know,
07:20Booty maybe try to catch over the shoulder.
07:22I think, you know, I don't think that would end up being that big a deal.
07:25I think it was more just my reaction after the game to make myself feel better.
07:30Well, whatever.
07:30Appreciate the honesty.
07:31Yeah, sure.
07:31I mean, that is definitely honest.
07:34The play call there, obviously, to go take a deep shot downfield.
07:38You still had some time left.
07:39It was first down.
07:40Any second thoughts on that after seeing how it ended?
07:43Well, I like taking a shot.
07:44I think I like taking a shot to go for, you know, you know, seal the game.
07:47And I think I had them.
07:48I mean, shoot, I had them.
07:48And, you know, whether or not, you know, KB stayed up or not.
07:53You know, I still had eyes on him and saw him.
07:55And I think once he failed, he made a drift towards the middle of the field more.
07:58But at the same time, I think I had a chance at Booty and got to step into it more.
08:02We always talk about a young quarterback, like every rep matters, experience, learning.
08:08But are you legitimately learning from the interception that was a little late over
08:12the middle under pressure or the fumble?
08:13Like, do you feel like you're banking experiences of what not to do when the
08:18stove is hot and how not to touch it again?
08:20Yeah, I think the store in those mistakes and learn from them and not be repeat,
08:24you know, repeat, you know, offender of these mistakes.
08:26I think that's the biggest thing that Coach Mayo preaches.
08:28It's not, you know, being a repeat mistake guy.
08:30And that's what I'm trying to do back there in these games and these plays that
08:34turn out to be, you know, huge for the outcome of the game.
08:37Like you said, I think there's multiple times that first drive taking a sack and
08:40getting us out of full range or making the field go farther for Joey makes it tough.
08:44The interception on third down, we got a chance to put them inside the 10 and
08:48maybe flip the field.
08:50When we get the ball back.
08:50So little things like that go a long way in impacting the game.
08:53I think you're learning in that and realizing, hey, you know,
08:56not every play needs to be a home run.
08:58Is there a fine line there?
08:59Sorry.
09:00Is there a fine line there, though?
09:02Staying aggressive and not being afraid, you know, not throwing everything away
09:06unless the guy's wide open.
09:07You know what I mean?
09:08Like still being a playmaker.
09:09I think there definitely is.
09:10I think that side of me, I'm not going to lose ever.
09:12I think that's hard.
09:13You know, take away the playmaker and the aggressiveness of me.
09:15So just being smarter with when not to be.
09:18I think that's the biggest thing.
09:19We've asked you questions about feeling like a leader.
09:21You said that you do and that the quarterback kind of has to.
09:23After that throw at the end, after the game was over, it seemed like a lot of guys were
09:26coming up to you and talking to you, trying to pick you up like that.
09:29And then after the game, a lot of your teammates had a lot of nice things to say about you.
09:33Do you feel as though you're becoming more of a leader in the locker room and that it's
09:37starting to become sort of a thing in that room, in that space?
09:40Is that more, is that developing more as the season goes on?
09:43Yeah, I appreciate those guys, you know, for coming over and saying things to me and
09:49telling me to keep my head up.
09:50You know, that goes a long way, especially with a quarterback and a decision like that
09:53at a time and at that point in the game where we're into the game.
09:56It was tough.
09:57I think, you know, just more, I'm going to be harder on myself than probably anybody
10:02is going to be harder on me.
10:02So that's the mindset I try to keep.
10:05And I think there's another step I can take leadership wise.
10:08And I got to go, you know, make some plays and kind of be smarter with the football.
10:15I think that'll go a long way and kind of earn the guys trust and respect.
10:18But I think I got respect in that locker room with those guys and kind of earn it throughout
10:21the year and kind of can make the next step in being some vocal and do little things with
10:27teammates to kind of be that quarterback leader that everybody wants.
10:31You almost got to 100 yards yesterday, I believe all on scrambles.
10:34I think AVP's talked a little bit, not a ton of designed runs yet.
10:37Would you like to see some more designed runs incorporated into the offense to utilize your
10:42skill set?
10:43Um, no, I think I think kind of just dropping back there and hey, they're not, you know,
10:48taking advantage of the rush lanes and little things like that.
10:51I think I find enough ways to kind of make plays with my feet and try to extend plays
10:54and, you know, hit pop on a cross or late over the middles, extending plays.
10:58So I think, you know, play like that.
11:00I think we've had enough of that in our offense.
11:01You know, I think running the football would be tough on my body and taking some hits,
11:07extra hits that may not need when we got a big time back like Mandre and those guys,
11:11A.G. and Hasty.
11:12When you got back like those guys, especially Mandre, I think you want to give him the ball
11:16and let him run rather than me.
11:18All right.
11:18We got the Chicago Bears this weekend.
11:20You guys are heading out to Chicago on Thursday, Friday.
11:23It's the first time you've gone up against one of these other rookie quarterbacks with
11:27Caleb over there.
11:27Does that a little extra there?
11:29Is that something you want to maybe ball out a little bit harder?
11:31You're going up against another rookie?
11:33Yeah, anytime you go up against somebody, you know, in your class, you know, especially
11:35another rookie, I think you want to come up on the winning side.
11:38So definitely, you know, any week is, you know, this is the most important week of the
11:41year because it's this week.
11:43And that's what Coach Mayo, what he's saying in the team meeting, what he's preaching.
11:47So that's the big, that's the biggest thing.
11:50You know, I think the rookie matchup is, it's cool.
11:52It's cool for the league.
11:53It's cool for me and Caleb.
11:54You know, we grew up and going to camps and seeing each other in high school and in college
11:58and then now.
11:58So it's pretty cool dynamic.
12:00But I think the biggest thing is coming out with the win.
12:02Speaking of cool, I read something online.
12:04I'm assuming it's true that Simmons, their big D tackle said he sought you out and maybe
12:07said something to you after the game.
12:09That's going to make you feel good when a guy who's trying to kill you all game comes
12:12over and shows you a little respect, especially a guy like that, who's a captain, a pro ball
12:16talent, been in the league for a long time.
12:18Yeah, it's pretty neat.
12:18You know, I think, you know, big, big Simmons, big Jeff is a problem.
12:21The problem in their problem inside the great player.
12:23And it's pretty cool seeing these guys, you know, around the league when I was in high
12:28school and college being like, man, that guy's a good player, man, just watching him on TV
12:31and now seeing those guys and playing against them.
12:33So I think it's pretty cool, you know, different throughout the weeks and seeing guys, you
12:37know, in the Texans, you know, Daniel Hunter and Willie Anderson and guys like that that
12:41you're getting to play now and playing against Rogers last week.
12:44So I think it's, you know, just the NFL is a great place for kids who grew up as a fan
12:48like me to go and not be competitive.
12:51Do you think that'll ever wear off?
12:52Like, do you feel like, oh, yeah, that guy is just a coworker, Aaron Rogers, just a coworker?
12:57Yeah, I don't think that'll ever wear off.
12:58You know, as a football fan that I grew up and how much I love, you know, watching these
13:02guys play and having them on my fantasy team growing up, I don't think that'll ever wear
13:06off.
13:07All right.
13:07Quarterback question of the week brought to you by Northeast Men's Health, experts in
13:10treating men's sexual health with five new New England offices or at northeastmenshealth.com.
13:15This comes to us from Dimitri in Cambridge, who asks, you were in Tennessee this past
13:19weekend going to Chicago.
13:20What cities have been the best to visit so far as an NFL player and which ones are you
13:24looking forward to visiting?
13:26That's a good question.
13:27You know, I think, you know, Nashville is pretty sweet.
13:29I grew up in the South, you know, country music fan and barbecue fan.
13:33So it was nice being in Nashville.
13:35London was pretty cool.
13:36It's different.
13:37It's kind of different when you got to go there for a business trip.
13:40I thought San Fran was cool because the weather is such great weather out there.
13:44But yeah, looking forward to getting Chicago.
13:45I think I've been to Chicago one other time.
13:47I think my brother Luke played up there one time in college.
13:50So looking forward, I'd probably say Nashville.
13:53It's probably been my favorite to grow up in the South.
13:54What about college?
13:55What was your favorite road game to play?
13:57And what was your least favorite for whatever reason?
14:00B.C.
14:01Yeah, I never came up here to B.C.
14:03Oh, really?
14:04I'm playing this year up here.
14:05So I missed it maybe about one year.
14:07Going to Tallahassee, Florida State was pretty cool.
14:10You know, Death Valley and Clemson was a good.
14:12We had a night game there.
14:13That was pretty sweet.
14:14And then my first college game ever, my true freshman year when Sam Howell was playing,
14:18played at Virginia Tech.
14:19So that's, I think we were seventh in the country.
14:22So that was a big time game.
14:24But my least favorite, I wouldn't say, you know, at least I think it's all pretty cool.
14:28Was Vatech intimidating?
14:30Because that's Metallica, right?
14:31Off to NIV and NIV.
14:33That place gets rocky in the sand.
14:34That must have been a little intimidating.
14:36Sam, you go out there.
14:37Yeah, I kind of was.
14:38It's called the Sandman or whatever.
14:40Yeah, Sandman.
14:41So enter Sandman or whatever.
14:42Yeah.
14:43All right.
14:43Well, there it is.
14:44Drake May, thank you so much for the time today.
14:46Good luck in Chicago.
14:46And we'll talk to you next Monday.
14:48Sweet.
14:48All right.
14:48That is Drake May, quarterback of the Patriots, joining us here on WEI Afternoons.
14:53Not a big fan of this new setup.
14:54I mean, hey, what are you going to do?
14:56Take it up with Maddie the Marine out there.
14:59It was all his idea.