As of Wednesday afternoon, first-year New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo hadn’t publicly introduced if rookie Drake Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett could be his Week 1 beginning quarterback.
A lot was made earlier than and after New England chosen Maye with the third total choose of this 12 months’s draft about how the membership wanted to change his footwork to arrange him to face stay defenses in significant contests. Based on Patriots and NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated, that facet of Maye’s recreation nonetheless wants work even after he impressed throughout a few preseason appearances.
“Maye was drafted by the Patriots with out having a lot, if any, footwork coaching at North Carolina that translated to the NFL recreation,” Breer wrote on Wednesday. “It wasn’t the worst factor, as a result of it’s simpler to construct off no habits than dangerous habits. Nonetheless, there’s no query that the largest risk to his progress, and there’s been quite a bit, is that when he’s underneath duress, he reverts to his previous habits. That’s why, if I’m New England, I don’t begin Maye behind that offensive line till I’m certain he has the ten,000 reps he wants for what he’s realized to turn out to be everlasting.”
Breer is not the one one who believes Maye may benefit from spending time as Brissett’s main backup this fall. On the most recent version of NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat“ podcast, Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald instantly stated that the “good transfer” could be for Mayo to start out Brissett for the regular-season opener on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8 as a result of the Patriots have “a lot uncertainty with the offensive line.”
Additionally on Wednesday, Karen Guregian of MassLive famous that the Patriots “didn’t assemble an offensive line match for a promising rookie quarterback” throughout their first offseason of their ongoing roster rebuild.
Whether or not groups ought to instantly start or sit rookie quarterbacks chosen with excessive draft picks turns into broadly debated amongst analysts and former gamers every summer season. Whereas some believe it is greatest to let a first-year professional find out about life within the NFL “the exhausting manner,” others voice concerns about franchises ruining younger signal-callers by forcing them to function for groups missing expertise earlier than they’re prepared for such assignments.
As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2024 Patriots at +160 betting odds to win over 5.5 video games. Such forecasts point out consultants do not count on a lot from the present New England squad no matter which quarterback takes probably the most beginning snaps from Week 1 by Week 18.
“Tright here’s no have to rush something,” Breer continued, “although the Patriots must handle the remainder of the staff on this one since certainly some gamers assume Maye provides them the very best probability to win now.“
That time is essential, as veteran Patriots defensive lineman Davon Godchaux left little doubt last week that he and others contained in the locker room know some outsiders assume the staff is “tanking” the upcoming season with 2025 and 2026 in thoughts.
In brief, Patriots gamers could tolerate Brissett beginning by the Week 3 recreation on the New York Jets on Thursday, Sept. 19. If New England is winless after that contest, Mayo could have to make use of the additional time to get Maye able to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 29 to stop an early locker-room mutiny from arising.
