The competition for the New England Patriots’ quarterback position didn’t exactly look like a competition this summer.
In 14 training camps, Jacoby Brissett has played every single snap for the first team offense. But after Drake Mayes’ impressive performance in the second preseason game, that could soon change.
“We’ll see. We’ll have a staff meeting later today and that decision will be made,” Jerod Mayo said Friday morning when asked if Maye could play with the starters soon. “I think he definitely showed progress overall yesterday. We’ll see what happens going forward.”
Aside from Maye showing these improvements through plays with his arms and legs both inside and outside the pocket, it was again a challenge for Brissett in live action.
The veteran’s accuracy continued to leave much to be desired, as he only successfully converted three of seven attempts. He also threw an intercepted pass in the end zone – something he cannot do if he wants to keep his position in the starting lineup.
“We just forced the play,” Mayo said. “We had other players free on that play. It was just a bad play, a terrible play. And we can’t afford to do that, especially when you have guaranteed points on the board.”
The Patriots are now considering using Maye more often in the top half, with a focus on speeding up the entire operation, but one factor is being overlooked: the team’s offensive line.
“We always talk about competition, and that goes for all positions. Even if Drake beats Jacoby (Brissett), he’s earned that role,” Mayo said after Thursday’s game. “And we don’t really take (the offensive line) into consideration, if he’s ready, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
After a day off on Friday, the Patriots players return to the facility on Saturday for a 90-minute practice session – where we will see if serious competition develops for the first time this summer.
“We have three days of training camp left and it’s our job as coaches to judge that. The competition is not over yet,” Mayo said. “They have to show something not only to themselves and the coaches, but also to their teammates. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
