The excitement surrounding New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye is peaking ahead of a three-game home stretch and an international game
Suddenly, everyone is singing Maye’s praises as if he’s nearing the biggest opportunity of his life. Maybe it’s all a crazy coincidence, or perhaps Maye really is nearing something huge.
Could he be nearing his first NFL start?
It was always inevitable that the veteran, Jacoby Brissett, would have to hand the reins over to the young gunslinger at some point. Brissett’s ceiling was capped a long time ago, and the Patriots are eager to see what they have in the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.
For the last three weeks, opposing defenses have taken their pound of flesh from Brissett, and through gritted teeth, the veteran consistently picked himself off the ground and gingerly walked back to the huddle. The offensive line is a mess, and the skilled positions are lacking in explosive talent.
Throw in the insanely difficult schedule and this was never going to be a situation for Brissett to succeed.
However, where he has succeeded is getting the Patriots through the four most grueling weeks of regular season football against a returning Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
On the other side of another potential disaster game against the 49ers on Sunday, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the Patriots against a Miami Dolphins team playing without their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.
There are three home games and an international matchup before back-to-back road games against the struggling Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans.
If Maye truly is ready to take the reins as the starter, Week 5 might be the perfect time for him to do so. This week, the defensive coaches are suddenly singing the rookie quarterbacks praises in ways we haven’t heard before. Granted, the buzz surrounding Maye has generally been positive, but things appear to be ramping up in ways we haven’t seen.
That could simply be attributed to Maye improving behind the scenes, or it could be leading to the inevitable change at quarterback. There’s also the possibility that both could be true.
“He’s progressing and makes some great throws in practice against us. I remember one specifically that I went in the next day and was like, ‘I hate you. That was a great throw,’” Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said, via MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “He’s doing a good job so far. He stuck one in between tight coverage on a new call that we had a couple of weeks ago. It was like, ‘I really wish he didn’t make that throw, but you did.’”
NFL insider Albert Breer, who is well-connected with the team, called Maye the “real deal” this week.
“He’s the real deal, man. There’s definitely physical ability there that’s going to get the attention of guys in practice,” Breer said on “Zolak & Bertrand.”
"He's the real deal"@AlbertBreer joined @ZoandBertrand to talk some Drake Maye.
WATCH more of the conversation here: https://t.co/hNxy6khpgc pic.twitter.com/rUVTAo4m0j
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) September 26, 2024
Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and other coaches, via Daniels, weighed in on Maye’s progression this week, following the team’s decision to give him game minutes late in the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s game against the New York Jets.
“For me, Drake has improved every day. He’s improved from the first day he’s gotten in here,” said Covington. “I think he’s earning the trust and respect from his teammates, which is good.”
The talk is definitely ramping up for Maye, and time will tell if there’s some greater meaning behind it. If Brissett goes out there on Sunday and upsets the 49ers, the Patriots might not be so quick to rock the boat.
But if he goes out there and the offense continues to collapse all around him like it did in the loss to the Jets, the Patriots could finally turn to their rookie quarterback.
It’ll be an opening of Pandora’s Box for New England when they ultimately come to that decision. Once that box is open, there’s no safe way of closing it.
