The New England Patriots selected their starting quarterback for Week 1, and it wasn’t the player that head coach Jerod Mayo said played the best during preseason. The first year head coach made a comment during the preseason, saying that rookie drake Maye “outplayed” veteran Jacoby Brissett.
That comment made many think that Maye could have a solid chance at the starting job, despite all offseason looking like the role was Brissett’s to lose.
Mayo caught some heat for that comment, especially after his extremely short press conference when he announced the team’s starter and it wasn’t the QB he had praised not long before. He has now clarified his comments and what the team’s plan was ahead of the season.
“I should have given more context to the comment at the time. Drake had more playing time in the preseason than Jacoby, and that was intentional,” Mayo said on WEEI.
During Mayo’s press conference last week, he initially said “we” when referring to who selected the starter, but quickly corrected himself, saying “I.” While Mayo may be more collaborative with the front office than Bill Belichick was, he made it clear that the decision still goes through him.
“As a head coach, I have the final say on [starting, depth chart decisions]. I do value the opinions of others, and Eliot [Wolf]’s opinion is definitely valued. But as a head coach, I have the final say with the quarterback.”
What is right for the team now, may not be right for the team down the line, even in a few weeks. Mayo said as long as Brissett is playing well he will remain the starter for the 2024 season, but there is always the chance that they make a change.
“If you’re not playing well, if he’s not giving our team the best chance to win games, no matter the position, then we have to look at different options. And I think that’s healthy stress. I think that’s healthy competition,” Mayo said.
Maye is undoubtedly the team’s future, but right now it’s about balancing what’s right in the “short term and the long term at the same time.” The No. 3 overall pick was in the competition and just didn’t do enough in the offseason to convince Mayo, if Mayo was truly the only one making the call, that he was ready for the big league.
The Patriots also have significant problems heading into the season, specifically their offensive line, which is tough for a rookie to play behind.
The team plans to continue to develop Maye and allow him to progress.
“We talk about, not only in the game, but also in practices, getting those mental reps, and he’ll know what every play is. He’ll make his checks and stuff on the sideline and continue to develop that way. And he’ll develop through practice. He’ll get reps still with the first team and also the show team.”
Whether Mayo’s decision was the right call is impossible to tell and either way there could be “what ifs” with the first round pick. Let’s take a deeper dive into their performances in the preseason, to determine exactly how they compared:
Brissett’s preseason performance:
Quarterback rating: 14.6
Completions/attempts: 5 of 14
Completion percentage: 35.7
Passing yards: 36
Passing touchdowns: 0
Drop-backs: 15
Maye’s preseason performance:
Quarterback rating: 86.9
Completions/attempts: 21 of 34
Completion percentage: 61.8
Passing yards: 192
Passing touchdowns: 1
Rushing touchdowns: 1
Drop-backs: 38
Maye has Brissett beat in every category, so Mayo’s “outplayed” comments were not a far reach. Even if the plan was to play Maye more, Brissett’s performance doesn’t give much hope for the season. The preseason doesn’t tell the entire story and Mayo has emphasized the importance of practice in the past and just how much that would go into the starter decision.
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Author: Shanna McCarriston
September 3, 2024 | 6:15 pm
