Fine, fine. Bob Lobel can pull the “why can’t we get players like that” trick. Lobie is grandfathered in. No sincere lamentations allowed for the rest of us. Jones was broken here, and regardless of whether he succeeds elsewhere — and he had the highest passer rating of any quarterback who played significant time in the preseason — moving on was the right thing to do.
No “Why did they beat up Mac?” nonsense. None.
Act?
Shake on it?
Good.
The new guy is better than ever anyway. And I say that with full memory of the Patriots’ 9-4 start during Jones’ encouraging rookie year in 2021.
Drake Maye is obviously far more physically talented than Jones, both in terms of his legs and his arm – and especially his arm – and that’s fitting for a player who was selected third in the draft.
What seems to have surprised even his coaches is his speed of learning, which led to unexpectedly rapid progress even in his first NFL training camp. For example, his inconsistent footwork was one of the main criticisms when he came out of North Carolina, and that was justified, as Bill Belichick showed us on draft night.
Maye has already made extraordinary progress. During Sunday’s game, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said late in the first half with surprise and admiration, “His footwork looks fantastic.”
And did I mention the arm? Starting with the majestic long ball that Javon Baker couldn’t save in the Eagles game, I’m sure I’ve rewound and rewatched more Maye passes for fun this preseason than I did in all three of Jones’ seasons.
I think Maye’s progress is one reason why rookie coach Jerod Mayo’s messages have been so inconsistent and sometimes contradictory.
He didn’t expect the 21-year-old Maye – who completed 13 of 20 throws for 126 yards and a touchdown in the third and (thankfully) final preseason game against the Commanders on Sunday night – to seriously compete with the experienced Jacoby Brissett for the starting job.
Instead, he has proven to be the Patriots’ best quarterback, putting Mayo in a dilemma that is difficult even for experienced head coaches.
The potential franchise quarterback looks like he does, and a potential franchise quarterback is the most valuable asset in professional sports. But those who are supposed to protect that quarterback – that asset – don’t seem to be able to do their part to keep him upright, healthy and productive.
To put it more bluntly, the Patriots’ offensive line was completely inept, and the Commanders, who sat with 34 players on the bench, did not exactly field modern-day Charles Mann and Dexter Manley as pass rushers.
Rarely did a play or two go without a violation. The Patriots line committed four illegal lineup penalties—three of them by alleged left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor—incurred three more penalties, botched two snaps (with Nick Leverett filling in for David Andrews) and allowed a sack that injured Brissett’s shoulder.
On several occasions when he was in the game, Maye was harassed before a play could develop. At one point he lost a shoe but was still able to complete the pass. It was a complicated feeling watching Maye make plays amidst the chaos – certainly an incredibly encouraging sign down the stretch, but not without fear considering how often he was in danger.
After watching, it’s quite possible that Eliot Wolf’s recent quote about the Patriots’ blocking selection – “We’re very excited about our offensive line group” – will be viewed by Patriots fans with the same derisive disdain that Tom Werner’s “full throttle” promise is met with by Red Sox fans.
Maye looks ready to play, but it would be a coaching mistake to ask him to get through his rookie season healthy, behind the island of misfit linemen we saw on Sunday night.
Maybe it will get better. It probably will – the performance can’t get much worse. Andrews will be there as a pivot, and Mike Onwenu is reliable no matter where he plays. Layden Robinson, drafted in the fourth round, has made his mistakes, but his blocking is top-notch. And – OK, this is the desperate part – maybe there’s a left tackle on the waiver list.
But if/until the line is connected, the choice is obvious. Brissett, the embodiment of a replacement-level quarterback, has to play ahead of Maye. It’s not entirely fair to him, but he’s getting $8 million as a placeholder, knows and accepts who he is, and has experience navigating difficult situations. (As a starter, he’s 18-30.)
The Patriots know what it looks like when a young quarterback gets banged up, then gets nervous, then gets scared, then melts into a puddle. Mayo and Wolf were both there when Jones regressed. They saw it all fall apart. They know why and how.
The temptation to play Maye has to be great, especially as new bosses desperate for success. He’s so much better than Jones and he’s already better than Brissett. Maye knows that. Wolf knows that. We all know that. But they should know better, too.
Maye cannot protect this line of attack.
You can.
Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GlobeChadFinn.
