We’re running a mailbag every Friday. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or want to gripe about past answers, email cmason@masslive.com or tweet @bychrismason. Now let’s get to this week’s questions!
How should Patriots fans feel about Jerod Mayo’s press conferences? Feels like he says a lot of contradicting points — Conor M.
Mayo’s messaging was indeed all over the place this week.
On Sunday night he referred to Drake Maye as the “second-best quarterback” on the roster, but Monday morning said he’d “outplayed” Jacoby Brissett. Mayo repeatedly referred to training camp as a “true competition” between the quarterbacks, but called Brissett the starter some of the time and it looks like the plan has always been to start the veteran.
It’s been word-soupy.
But honestly, the messaging to the players matters more than it does to anybody else (media, fans etc.) and I think Mayo’s approach with Maye got the most out of him.
When Mayo pivoted from calling Brissett the no-doubt starter at the outset of training camp, to emphasizing that it was an open competition in August, Maye started playing like it. He elevated his game. Of course some of that is natural as he grows more comfortable in a new offense, but I think the messaging made an impact, too. Even if it wasn’t a real competition given all of the other variables — offensive line, Brissett’s experience, developing Maye’s footwork, etc. — the rookie absolutely brought it down the stretch.
Winding up the backup despite Mayo’s “outplayed” comment didn’t seem to irk Maye either. He understands the world he’s currently operating in.
“I wouldn’t say (I’m) disappointed,” Maye said. “There’s two ways to look at it. Obviously I want to play, the competitive edge in me. But at the same time, I understand the situation it was coming in here. Jacoby has been in the offense and he got the reps with the (first team) all camp. So I can’t really say I’m disappointed, but at the same time I want to be playing.”
So yes, Mayo needs to clean up the contradictions moving forward, but at this point I don’t think it’s really burned him in the locker room.
I know everyone’s going to ask this, but what are we going to do about the o-line? Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it’s baaaad. – Jesse O.
Unfortunately, rebuilding an offensive line is a years-long process and you’re seeing that play out in real time.
The Patriots prioritized quarterback in the draft — correctly, in my opinion — and that left them without a plug-and-play tackle. There were eight first-rounders then a pronounced gap to the next tier, which will require more developmental time and included Caedan Wallace.
In free agency, the options simply weren’t there outside of Mike Onwenu, who the Patriots wisely paid up for. It was Tyron Smith, who has endured so many injuries at 33 years old that his practice time needs to be managed, and Jonah Williams, who talent evaluators are starkly divided on. Around the league, the tackle trade market has been ice cold for good reason: When teams land quality tackles, the want to keep them.
So Eliot Wolf and company will likely target a tackle early in next year’s draft. That’s the best way to land one.
Beyond that, the Patriots have tried rebuilding their guard depth on the fly. Behind the injured Cole Strange, they’ve drafted back-to-back fourth-rounders in Sidy Sow and Layden Robinson, and last year took fourth-round center Jake Andrews, too.
They just keep adding to the depth chart over time; there’s no quick fix here.
Should they keep the number one pick in 2024 or trade down? – David D.
I know this question is tongue-in-cheek, but… if Carson Beck remains the No. 1 prospect and the Patriots wind up with that pick, trading down for a tackle and more ammo will be the wisest approach.
What’s the overall grade will you give Pats management on their offseason efforts regarding the draft, free agency and roster building? — Ed H.
I’d go C+ thus far.
I really liked their draft and most of the extensions they signed their homegrown players to, but the misses in free agency (Calvin Ridley) and on the trade market (Brandon Aiyuk) need to be acknowledged, too. In both cases, the players didn’t seem to want to come to the Patriots, but at the end of the day, it’s a bottom line business and neither is helping New England’s offense this fall.
I’ve read a lot about how tough the Pats schedule is this year, but I thought that the NFL changed the way schedules were made so that the toughest schedules were set for the first place teams and the easiest schedules were made for the last place teams. That being the case, how did the Pats’ schedule get so tough? – Sully
The Patriots wound up with a tough schedule due to some brutal luck. Every year they’re locked into a rotating AFC division (South) and an NFC division (West) in addition to the normal AFC East games. So those 14 games are set regardless.
The remaining three are the two other last place teams in the AFC (as they’re already playing the Titans because of the AFC South draw) and one last place team from the NFC.
Those wound up being the Bengals (who are a Super Bowl contender but lost Joe Burrow last year), the Chargers (who now have Jim Harbaugh coaching) and the Bears (who landed Caleb Williams and reshaped their roster). Those aren’t going to be three of the worst teams in the league, but because all technically finished in last place in 2023, they landed on the Patriots schedule. Certainly not ideal from New England’s perspective.
