In an ideal world, rookie quarterback Drake Maye can be getting his ft moist in Patriots preseason video games. This workforce is way from an ideal world, as evidenced by a 4-13 document in 2024.
In case you blinked, you might need missed Maye’s skilled debut. The North Carolina product logged simply one, six-play drive in New England’s preseason opener final week in opposition to the Panthers. Regardless of head coach Jerod Mayo’s insistence the No. 3 decide would play “extra” in Thursday’s second exhibition in opposition to Philadelphia, it may not be completely shocking to see the Patriots restrict his alternatives once more.
Coincidentally, longtime Patriots coach Invoice Belichick might need not directly shed some mild on the decision-making course of for Maye’s taking part in time. The teaching legend is a rising media star with appearances throughout a number of platforms this season — his first and not using a teaching job in a long time — and on an look with “The Pat McAfee Present” on Monday, Belichick talked about how groups strategy preseason taking part in time.
Whereas the query from A.J. Hawk wasn’t concerning Maye — it centered round starters getting preseason taking part in time — there’s some helpful data that could possibly be utilized to his former workforce’s present considering with what it hopes is the franchise quarterback.
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“If you wish to put your beginning quarterback on the market, you in all probability need to put him on the market along with your beginning offensive line, you need to put him on the market with, you realize, the receivers he’ll be throwing to,” he defined. “In case your depth is just not good at these positions at that specific time — perhaps you have acquired a few guys banged up, no matter it’s — is it actually value it?”
Making use of this to Maye and the present Patriots takes a bit nuance. Jacoby Brissett is the starter, however he isn’t lengthy for the job. This will probably be Maye’s workforce earlier than too lengthy. That tantalizingly tiny little bit of taking part in time within the opener, although, factors to the Patriots taking it gradual with the No. 3 decide.
The Patriots entered the offseason with three main deficiencies: quarterback, offensive line and receiver. By drafting Maye that top, the Patriots hope they remedied the primary. The opposite two are very a lot a piece in progress. As Belichick famous, placing a quarterback on the market with out the opposite two can do extra hurt than good. The Patriots may not need to threat Maye getting damage and even stunting his development in a foul state of affairs.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo has primarily admitted as a lot.
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Belichick additionally pointed to new restrictions on how a lot groups can apply in the summertime as a purpose for taking it gradual. With much less time to stand up to hurry on a system, groups cannot afford to hurry gamers onto the sphere with out correct time to organize for an opponent.
As an alternative, Belichick stated what most soccer followers have already begun to just accept.
“If you go in joint practices, you may go forward and put your greatest gamers on the market and allow them to compete in opposition to the opposite workforce for a few days and get plenty of reps and plenty of high quality work. Then do you actually need to come again and play these guys two days in a while principally no relaxation and put them in a contact state of affairs?”
Unsurprisingly, Maye acquired loads of appears Tuesday in the course of the first and solely joint session between the Patriots and Eagles. He impressed at instances, displaying off the talent set that made him a high decide, however there was nonetheless one main difficulty, based on these observing the prolonged exercise.
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And to the unique level, it is one thing Maye cannot management.
One might argue Maye ought to get a glance in some unspecified time in the future with the beginning offensive line, however that unit is not precisely “The Hogs,” so there isn’t any positive factor within the trenches proper now.
Going again to Belichick, although, it is also clear he believes there’s advantage in getting younger quarterbacks on the sphere within the preseason.
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“They need to play and get a really feel for the sport, the velocity of the cross rush,” he stated. “A few of them who’re a bit undersized, simply the peak and girth of the defensive linemen and all of that, that is good for them to expertise in a stay sport state of affairs, not simply apply.”
Nonetheless …
“(You) simply need to be sure you can shield these guys with each their linemen and in addition with receivers and backs who know what they’re doing on the market so if there are any sorts of changes that wanted to be made, you have acquired the blokes on the market which can be going to do the best factor.”
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Based mostly on practices and a small style of sport motion, it seems the Patriots might need made a big step in boosting their receiving room with Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker becoming a member of the fray. When it involves one-on-one play on the apply fields, these guys (notably Polk) have dazzled at instances, however can they be trusted to make the types of changes Belichick believes are vital?
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There may be some irony, particularly within the wake of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s launch, that plenty of these points stem from Belichick’s roster constructing — however that is one other dialog.
Whereas Patriots followers need to see extra of Maye — particularly after watching fellow rookies impress in larger pattern sizes — it is likely to be in the very best curiosity of the group for the long run to proceed to take it gradual.
That, nonetheless, simply underscores how a lot work nonetheless needs to be carried out earlier than the Patriots resemble the form of workforce Belichick would acknowledge in Foxboro.
