FOXBOROUGH – One play away.
That’s where Drake Maye sits. One Jacoby Brissett injury away from taking over as the Patriots starting quarterback.
When Brissett was by driven to the turf by Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams late in the third quarter of Sunday’s overtime loss, and was seen wincing in pain on the ground before getting up and walking slowly to the Patriots bench, people watching wondered if this would be the hit.
It wasn’t. But for the Patriots rookie quarterback, given the beating Brissett has already endured, that time might come sooner rather than later.
Given the precarious state of the offensive line, there will be more punishment headed Brissett’s way. And this week, there’s no rest for the weary. Thursday night in New York, the Patriots suspect line will try to tame a ferocious Jets front led by Will McDonald. Then it’s Nick Bosa’s turn Week 4 when the Patriots head to San Francisco to play the 49ers.
During his Monday appearance on WEEI, Brissett shrugged off any aftershocks of absorbing countless hits against the Seahawks saying he was feeling good, and only dealt with “routine post-game soreness.”
On a scale of 1-to-10 rating toughness, with 10 being the toughest, Brissett comes in with a score of 11.
But even with Brissett measuring off the charts, it seems only a matter of time before one of those hits keeps him on the sidelines.
The problems with the offensive line can’t be readily fixed. The Patriots are down two left tackles, not that they ever had a legitimate one.
Even an 11 might not survive.
As the backup, Maye is the next man up if Brissett gets hurt. So the same offensive line that is a reason not to play him might be the reason they’re forced to. That’s certainly not the Catch-22 situation you’re looking for when it comes to Maye’s NFL baptism.
“You never want your quarterback to get hit. We have to do a better job in our pass-pro up front, and we have to keep (Brissett) clean because even when he’s not getting hit – or any quarterback, if they’re back there and they feel people around them, it always is going to affect you a little bit,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Monday. “Now in saying that, I’ve always said Jacoby is a great leader, he’s a competitor, but he’s also a very tough player mentally and physically.
“Look, we’ll try to keep him clean going forward, but look, he has shoulder pads on just like everyone else, so we’ll see how it goes.”
How is it going for rookie Caleb Williams in Chicago? The first overall pick has been getting pummeled behind the Bears line, and seemed shaken in the Bears loss Monday night to the Houston Texans. He’s been sacked nine times already.
Last year’s top pick Bryce Young just got benched because he still hasn’t been able to work out the demons from being pressured and sacked 62 times last season as a rookie.
And, everyone in New England saw how Mac Jones’ play dissolved over time playing behind a porous offensive line. By the end, he was a puddle. He developed so many bad habits in wake of dealing with all of that pressure.
That’s not what the Patriots want for Maye, the player taken with the third overall pick and the player expected to be their future franchise quarterback.
Behind the scenes, the Patriots have been prepping Maye, and developing him toward that future, even giving him more starter reps in practice than the norm. Mayo described it as a 70-30 split between Brissett and the rookie.
“We are very thoughtful and have a development plan for Drake. That’s part of it,” Mayo said last week. “I try not to get too deep into what that plan looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters and he does a good job with the [scout] team. He’s doing a good job and you can see his confidence continue to grow.”
One way to shatter it is to have him under center with a line that can’t pass block. But that time is closing in, unless Brissett continues to be superhuman, or the Patriots come up with another plan.
Signing another veteran to the practice squad isn’t the worst idea. It’s surprising that hasn’t already happened given all the warning signs and evidence about how bad the line was before the season started.
Brissett has performed admirably in wake of being pressured on nearly 50 percent of his pass plays. He’s made plays with his legs and his arm. He’s also paid the price.
Naturally, there are fans who understandably want to see the rookie play. Given what’s transpired over the first two games, and the welts on Brissett, let’s file this under be careful what you wish for.
