The Patriots entered training camp with a clear plan for the quarterback position, but the last two preseason games seem to have thrown those plans into disarray.
New England signed Jacoby Brissett with the intention of signing him as a bridge quarterback for the player drafted No. 3. Drake Maye largely operated as the No. 2 quarterback behind the veteran, but that changed after he impressed against the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie started playing more of his first team games and his third preseason game showed the potential he could bring to the offense.
Mayo admitted that Maye had “outperformed” Brissett in the preseason, but also said that Maye was the second quarterback behind Brissett. The back-and-forth dialogue frustrated fans. While putting Maye on the field in front of a weak offensive line isn’t ideal, it was odd that Mayo seemingly admitted who was the better playmaker.
Fans may believe that such “controversies” would not have occurred under Bill Belichick’s leadership, but the former Patriots head coach’s insights into the preseason could change that opinion.
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“First of all, I don’t think you really know how anyone plays in the preseason, especially at the quarterback position,” Belichick said on Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “From the other side of the ball, the strategies are generally so simple. Most of the time, it’s very simple strategies. You try to evaluate your players. You try to get them to play the good fundamentals that they know how to do. You don’t hide anything. You just want the defensive players to be ready to react quickly and make plays.”
“I think if you come out of the preseason and say, ‘This guy is playing really well, that guy is playing really well,’ I wouldn’t put a lot of emphasis on that. I would put more emphasis on what they do in practice and then let’s see what happens in the first three or four games of the regular season when opponents target certain players based on what they think they can and can’t do to them and then let’s see how they play.”
McAfee asked Belichick specifically about the Patriots’ situation, but even though the future Hall of Fame head coach was speaking generally, this may actually have shown that Mayo is following in his predecessor’s footsteps.
Maye may have outplayed Brissett in the preseason, but the coaching staff may have been more impressed with what they saw from the veteran playmaker in practice.
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This reasoning may not be satisfactory for New England fans, but it provides some insight into the difficult decision Mayo and his team will have to make in Week 1.
