FOXBOROUGH – Following Wednesday’s practice, Drake Maye was asked, point blank, if he viewed Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots starting quarterback.
Talk about a hot potato, Maye has been making a real push to be the Week 1 starter, while Brissett, the acknowledged “QB1″ hasn’t played well in games, and of late, practice can be lumped into that equation, too.
Maye digested the question, then answered: “Ahh … I’m not 100% sure.”
It was a safe, polite answer by the rookie. Maye played nice. He was respectful of the veteran, along with those ultimately making the decision. He didn’t take the opportunity to make a case for himself after posting another good workout.
Two days after Brissett said “I still treat myself as if I’m the starter,” Maye pretty much deferred, even when asked about Sunday’s game against Washington possibly being a final push for him to win the job.
“I think I’m just going to take advantage of my opportunities,” Maye said. “Jacoby has done a great job. He’s a great player, great teammate. He’s been repping with the 1s the whole time. I’m excited for him and trying to take advantage of the reps I do get and when I’m in there try to have some fun.”
If this was a true competition, Maye would be getting more time with the 1s. He knows that. And so does everyone else. He’s been the No. 2 during practices throughout. If there’s been a message to be read from practice, Jacoby is the starter. The players see that, too.
While Maye did get his first reps with starting center David Andrews during Tuesday’s practice, those reps amounted to three handoffs. Hardly anything to get excited about.
Maye did acknowledge it being great to take snaps with Andrews, but talked more about those reps as helpful toward being ready because he’s “one snap away” presumably as the backup.
Maye didn’t treat the question as if his time with Andrews was more about the possibility of being the starter. He just wants to be ready whenever the time comes.
Some might think he’s being a little too passive, and not sufficiently fired up about going after the job. Given all the surrounding circumstances and issues, and especially being a 21-year-old rookie, he’s playing it just right. He’s doing his talking on the field. No need for him to pile on anywhere else.
That said, is the notion of Maye being the Week 1 starter really in play?
With Jerod Mayo saying if Maye beats out Brissett, he’ll start, maintaining that it’s still a competition, perhaps the Patriots coach was simply trying to light a fire under the veteran.
It hasn’t happened. While Brissett hasn’t been woefully bad, he just hasn’t been better than Maye of late. He’s been better during training camp as a whole, but not during the past week, when things really started to click with the rookie.
Will that be enough for the No. 3 overall pick to overtake Brissett?
Probably not. And that’s fine. While Mayo said he was “100 percent” sure Maye could handle running the huddle, the kid still needs time. He still has some kinks to work out. Plus, the offensive line is an ongoing problem. Vederian Lowe, who has been getting most of the reps as the starting left tackle, left Tuesday’s practice with an injury. The line, as a whole, with the tackle position unsettled, isn’t suited to giving a rookie, much less any quarterback, a chance.
Given that scenario, Brissett remains the placeholder. He’s still the likely Week 1 starter against Cincinnati. But the time frame for Maye to assume control of the offense has ramped up. His entry looks sooner, rather than later especially if Brissett flops in the early going.
Plus, it works better if Maye eventually takes over for Brissett, as opposed to the other way around. The last thing the Patriots want is to give the baton to Maye too soon, watch him struggle, then have to go to the bullpen for Brissett. That scenario does not set the course for the future. Instead, it sets them back.
When Maye was asked if it was his goal to be the Week 1 starter, and if he would be disappointed if that didn’t happen, he once again took his time before answering.
“Um, yeah, I think that’s a good question,” Maye said, gathering his thoughts. “I think the biggest thing with me, I think personal goals come with winning. My personal goal is to help this football team win in whichever way I can. Whether that’s starting or whether that’s helping Jacoby – anyway, just helping this team win, that’s the main focus.”
Maye said he trusted the organization and the coaches to put him out there when the time was right, when they feel he’s ready, adding: “I’m just here to continue to work and be ready when my name’s called.”
The Patriots need to get the timing right. Maye needs to be ready, and the coaches have to find the best combination of offensive linemen to protect him.
Earlier in the day, Mayo said he could see the “confidence growing” in his young quarterback. That confidence also applies to handling the “competition” with Brissett and dealing with some of the difficult questions that come with fighting for a job with a respected veteran.
