Boston Globe.Getty Images.It was less than 24 hours ago that none other than the Patriots’ head coach fueled speculation that his starting quarterback position was currently completely open:
And for good reason. Maye not only started doing significant reps with the first unit:
… for the last training sessions, the warm-up game against the Eagles and the joint training sessions with Philly before Thehe is far superior to Jacoby Brissett:
So if you want to know what the Pats got as a reward for being the third-worst team in the NFL, it was a day of heated anticipation. And Mayo declared the contest an open contest and squeezed a whole can of lighter fluid on those briquettes.
But to kill that analogy, I keep a small fire blanket next to my gas and charcoal grill for emergencies. Because I’m just the kind of grown-up, responsible adult who doesn’t believe in taking reckless and unnecessary risks. Unfortunately for the people who are lobbying hard for Maye to start in Week 1, so are the Patriots’ offensive line coaches. All of them, it seems. Because they’ve grabbed that metaphorical fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Maye, it seems, won’t be getting a chance to cook anytime soon:
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Patriots.com – Before practice on Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt spoke to reporters about Maye’s progress. The veteran OC was asked what is holding Maye back from earning a starting position, and he said, “Jacoby.”
“(Brissett) is our starting quarterback. The good news is we get to play everybody this week. We’re still in the evaluation process. We have one more preseason game and our guys are going to play, so we have another chance to evaluate.”
The follow-up question to Van Pelt was obvious: Is there still a chance that Maye could start in Week 1? To which Van Pelt replied: “Sure, there is a chance. But there is still a process of developing a rookie quarterback. …
“Jacoby has played in this offense and knows some of the tools you can use to get out of certain situations. Pressure situations and things like that,” Van Pelt explained. “Drake is still learning, but he’s been really impressive the last few weeks. He’s definitely moving in the right direction. Jacoby has a ton of experience, not just in the NFL, but in this system.”
And while Mayes’ quarterback coach TC McCartney had plenty of positive things to say about how he’s learning the professional footwork he never learned at UNC, he still said he’s not ready yet:
Taken together, these comments speak volumes.
Firstly, it is obvious that Mayo takes overall charge of his team and sets his own line in attack and defence. He is a delegator. He lets the experienced guys on his side of the line make the decisions.
Secondly, those experts who are outstanding in their field (and I would like to remind you that during practice they literally outstanding in their fieldbut I don’t do comedy in the Poconos in 1954) don’t sound remotely ready to do with Maye vs. Brissett what was done with Mac Jones vs. Cam Newton in 2021.
Third, they probably still don’t fully trust the offensive unit they’re cobbling together. Not the cards they currently have on the offensive line. Or their young receiver group. Or Maye’s ability to manage them all without spending part of his crucial rookie season on the injured list.
Which begs the question: If not now, when? And the more I think about it, the more I agree with this theory from Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network:
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New England is on the road for three of its first four games. It may be overestimating Cincinnati (28th in pass defense in 2023) and Seattle (25th in total defense), the Jets were ranked 12th and San Francisco was 3rd. That’s a lot to ask of a guy in the first month after his 22nd birthday. Especially on a team with a completely revamped coaching staff, a new system and new starters across the entire roster. Or a franchise that, even in the best of times, always treated September like an extension of training camp and didn’t really get a handle on its problems until early October. And these are far from the best of times.
So for now, I support the hypothesis proposed here. You give Maye until Week 5 to observe and learn. That’s a nice little runway to help him get up to speed and hit the ground running. His first two games are home, as is his fourth. And his third, nobody has home because it’s in London. And two of those are against Miami and Jacksonville, who were both in the bottom half of the league defensively.
I’m as excited as anyone to see Maye become the transformational savior we need. But his development is more important than anything else this season. If he needs more time to mature in the womb, I’m OK with pushing back his due date. And if the midwives on the offensive team are to be believed, this legend isn’t ready to be born yet. I can wait forever. As long as forever means until October 6th.
