So far, the New England Patriots’ training camp has made it seem as if the team expects Jacoby Brissett to be their starting quarterback.
However, Jerod Mayo says the battle between Brissett and newcomer Drake Maye is not over yet.
Following Mayo’s impressive preseason performance against the Eagles on Thursday, Mayo was asked if the No. 3 overall pick was still in the running for the starting spot in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Patriots coach says he doesn’t consider the competition to be over yet.
“The competition is not over. They’re still going to go out there,” Mayo said. “They have to show not only themselves and their coaches, but their teammates what they can do. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
The comments back up a statement made by Mayo after Thursday night’s game about the possibility of the rookie getting a chance.
“If Drake beats Jacoby, he’s earned that role … if he’s better than Jacoby, he’ll play, he’ll start,” Mayo said.
Up to this point in training camp, Maye had had some rough patches in training. Brissett, on the other hand, seemed more consistent.
But in Thursday’s preseason game, it was Brissett who threw an interception in the end zone that Mayo called a “terrible play.” Maye, on the other hand, was dynamic and avoided mistakes. He even led the team to the only touchdown drive of the evening.
So what does Maye have to do to secure a starting spot?
“I think first and foremost it’s about the whole operation,” Mayo said. “I think it’s got to be faster. I think he’s got to get guys in the huddle quicker, get them out of the huddle quicker and get to the line and just be on point.”
The Patriots coach said Mayes’ focus going forward will be on running the operation more efficiently.
In addition, Mayo said the team will discuss whether Maye should play with the first team in practice, and that decision will be made at a staff meeting later Friday.
The media will have access to a few practices in the coming days, and after that, our only chance to see Maye and Brissett in action will be in the final preseason game against the Washington Commanders.
Will Maye have a real chance at the No. 1 job? We’ll find out next Sunday.
