Why Patriots are committing malpractice by not starting Drake Maye
But why? The Patriots are 1-2, they have lost two games in a row by a point differential of -24, and they haven't exactly looked good with Brissett under center. Does Mayo really believe the Patriots have a chance to make it to the playoffs either as a Wildcard or as the outright winner of the AFC East? Or is he more concerned with subjecting his rookie quarterback to the sort of pressure Brissett has been receiving week in and week out so far this season, with the NC State product having already been sacked nine times alone, plus two more for Maye over his 16 offensive snaps so far?
Either way, with the season still young, the playoffs months away, and the ceiling with Brissett under center pretty clearly established considering the talent around him, why not give Maye the ball, turn off his electric leash, and see how much the UNC product can grow moving forward?
As things presently stand, Maye has appeared in exactly four games at the NFL level, three in the preseason, which, frankly, don't really count, and 16 against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
That's not much.
Consider, if you will, that Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Box Nix have played a total of 386 snaps collectively, 126, 130, and 130 for their respective teams. Have all of these snaps been good? No, the trio have a collective record of 2-4, and none have really shown the top-10 quarterback play some were hoping to see right out of the gates. Still, those snaps mean so much more for Williams, Daniels, and even Nix than what they would be earning on the sidelines, as there is simply no way to simulate a live defense in practice while wearing a red jersey.
How much has Maye learned from his 16 snaps? Well, he's learned that he can't make the same passes he threw in college, as he was nearly picked off early on, and that NFL pass rushers come at you fast, as he was laid out so hard at the end of the game he quite literally lost his helmet.
While that may not seem particularly important to the casual fan, as the Patriots weren't going to win the game down 21 with 19 seconds left to play, Maye probably feels very different, as the adjustment from the NCAA to the NFL is a very real thing, with even the best quarterbacks having to take their lumps before shining. Even if the Patriots haven't set Maye up for success with an elite offensive line, they aren't really setting him up for success by keeping him on the bench either, as he wasn't exactly drafted as a developmental prospect, but instead a talented, albeit flawed passer worthy of leading an offense for years to come.
While Mayo is currently committed to giving Brissett every chance to lead the Patriots into the future, at least for now, it's not because Maye has been stinking up the joint during practice, as during his Friday media session, the rookie head coach celebrated what he's seen from the UNC product .
"He's another guy who has athleticism, he can make all the throws," Mayo explained via the Boston Globe. "Coming off the bench at that time is always tough, no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position. I thought he did handle himself well and tried to put a drive together, something to build off of. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and get some live reps."
You know, Week 3 really was a good opportunity to get Maye some live reps, as the game wasn't close, there was no pressure for him to come in and clean up Brissett's issues, and he could instead play free and loose as he navigated his first-ever snaps against a regular season NFL defense. Were the results great? No, actually, they were downright not great but again, very few rookie quarterbacks actually succeed right away as they have to adjust to much more than what day of the week they are playing and what color jersey is okay to throw to.
Is there some happy middle between the two options? Could the Patriots find more opportunities for Maye to play even if they don't want to give him the starting spot right away, as silly as that may sound? Sure, while it is anything but conventional, plenty of teams have benched their quarterbacks for younger options when a game gets out of line, either to see how a rookie plays or to protect a vet from injury. If the Patriots continue to find themselves in blow-out losses, who knows, maybe they will get to have their cake and eat it too, even if just handing off the ball full-time to Maye would be so much sweeter in the eyes of most fans in New England.
