Scott Zolak commented on the Patriots’ quarterback situation

Patriots

“He’s not the second-best quarterback. He’s your best quarterback.”

As the Patriots’ quarterback competition reaches its peak and Jerod Mayo names a starter for Week 1, a former New England signal caller has his own opinion on the matter.

When asked to choose between veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye, former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak admitted in a segment of “Zolak & Bertrand” on 98.5 The Sports Hub that he was more in favor of starting with the third pick in the first round.

“I’ve always been a Week 1 guy,” Zolak said of Maye starting right away, “but I’ve seen other things that explain to me why he wouldn’t be there in Week 1.”

Co-host Marc Bertrand tried to get an answer from Zolak about who he actually wants to see in Week 1.

“I would have given him the keys on day one,” Zolak added.

Throughout training camp, the assumption was that the Patriots would use Brissett in Week 1, but would likely hand the role over to Maye within a few weeks.

Zolak expressed his disapproval of such a plan.

“I don’t see any difference between week 1 and week 3,” he explained.

Finally, co-moderator Marc Bertrand Zolak asked a simple question.

“Does Scott David Zolak want to see Drake Maye start in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, yes or no?”

“Yes, I do,” Zolak replied.

“I just think he’s so much better. That’s for sure,” Zolak continued. “Then there’s a game plan for him.”

Given concerns about the quality of the Patriots’ offensive line, many observers have suggested that Maye should not be named an immediate starter.

Nevertheless, Mayo admitted after the season finale that Maye had outperformed Brissett in competition during training camp.

“Your third overall pick, he’s obviously talented, and the head coach just said yesterday that he out-picked Jacoby Brissett,” Zolak argued. “So, I mean, you’re in. It’s not like it’s neck and neck.”

Zolak tried to put himself in the perspective of the Patriots coaching staff and advocated a straightforward approach: Since Maye won the competition, he should also be in the starting lineup.

“We’re not going to play around like, ‘We need to talk about it, look at the tape, we’re not sure,'” the former Patriots quarterback said. “Because you saw a little bit of (Sunday) night when you knew very clearly that (Maye) is the best guy. He’s not the second-best quarterback. He’s your best quarterback.”