Training camp and preseason are complete, and it seems clear that Jerod Mayo's statement heading into camp remains true today: Jacoby Brissett is QB1 for the Patriots.
That might not sit well with some fans and media types, but it certainly appears to be reality. After 17 camp practices and three more workouts that were open to the media, Brissett took the first-team reps in every one of them. Given that fact it would be hard to imagine Mayo changing course now and opting to go with Drake Maye right out of the chute in Cincinnati on September 8.
Is it the right call?
That isn't easy to answer given that no one outside the football offices can say with any degree of certainty whether or not Maye is ready to run an NFL offense in a regular-season game. If the answer to that question is yes, then there's plenty of room for second-guessing. If not, then it would be hard to argue with the patient approach … at least for now.
In the aftermath of the Week 2 game against Philadelphia, one that saw Brissett struggle his way through a 3 of 10 performance with a ghastly end zone pick mixed in while Maye showed promise in leading a pair of scoring drives, the natives began to get restless.
Those voices only got louder when Maye was brilliant in leading an 88-yard touchdown drive on his first series in relief of Brissett in Washington in the preseason finale. In fairness, Brissett was also sharper in his only series of the night, even working through a shoulder issue as a result of a heavy hit taken on a sack.
After all, if Brissett was going to play at a subpar level, why not allow the rookie to make those mistakes and learn on the fly? Better to get him the requisite experience if the quarterback position was going to be rife with errors regardless.
But in my view this decision doesn't really have much if anything to do with Brissett. The classy veteran was brought in to be a placeholder until Maye was ready to assume the controls. He has eight years of NFL experience, mostly filled with uneven play for losing teams, so his performance should not come as a surprise to anyone.
At his best Brissett avoids mistakes and gives his team a chance to win. At his worst he generally still avoids mistakes (he possesses the second-lowest interception rate in football during his time in the league) but rarely makes enough plays to lead his team to victory. Those traits have translated to a career record of 18-30 as a starter.
Aside from the end zone pick in the Eagles game, Brissett has come as advertised. He looks comfortable running an offense he has some familiarity with from his time in Cleveland, but also lacks the physical skills to successfully execute it to its fullest.
That leads us back to Maye. The 21-year-old has all the physical ability any NFL quarterback could ask for. He has good size (6-4, 225), a great arm, excellent mobility and plenty of athleticism to escape the pocket and operate as a runner. What he lacks is experience given his young age, and he might need time to develop as he learns the system while figuring out opposing defenses.
This should not be a case of which is the better quarterback. Maye's skillset vastly exceeds that of Brissett, and that was true the day the Patriots drafted him third overall. But there's more to consider beyond just physical skills.
In my view, the decision on when to play Maye comes down to one factor: When do the coaches feel he's developed enough to play? Once that happens, then it should be time for the rookie to jump in. However, even if Brissett struggles the way he did against Philly, Maye should remain on the sidelines if the coaches aren't comfortable with his development. Playing a quarterback before he can mentally handle the rigors of the position is risky and would make it hard for Maye to learn from his mistakes.
But once he's settled in the move should be made. If that's in Week 1 then so be it. More likely it will happen at some point in the middle of the season, and at that juncture we'll get to see how much Maye has developed.
Until then, Brissett will keep the seat warm.
Week 5 Visit
There's plenty of buzz surrounding Miami's Week 5 visit to Foxborough, not so much for the arrival of Tua Tagovailoa and the high-powered Dolphins as for the potential for Tom Brady to call his first Patriots game as Fox's lead color analyst. The speculation has Brady in town for the Dolphins game with the Patriots legend set to kick off his first season in his new role.
During Brady's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in June, Robert Kraft indicated that the team planned to honor him with a statue at some point during the season, and it would appear as if October 6 would be that time. No official word as of yet but it certainly seems like a very plausible scenario.
Division of Power
Last season at this time a host of folks projected the AFC East as the league's best division. Largely due to Aaron Rodgers' injury, that didn't turn out to be the case. But Rodgers is back and the division figures to be strong once again, even with many prognosticators expecting the Bills to take a slight step back in 2024.
With that in mind, it seemed like a good time to take a stab at ranking the league's eight divisions.
1. AFC North – The entire division finished above .500 in 2023 and only the 9-8 Bengals (without Joe Burrow) failed to make the playoffs. Baltimore remains a title favorite and Cincy figures to bounce back. Not as sold on the Steelers, especially if Russell Wilson is the starter.
2. NFC North – The Lions emergence as a true Super Bowl contender lifts this group significantly. The Packers smooth transition to Jordan Love, also helps, as does the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams in Chicago. Like the AFCN, there doesn't seem to be a truly bad team here.
3. AFC East – The Bills, Jets and Dolphins all remain playoff contenders and even as the Patriots rebuild that's more than most divisions can say. Something tells me Josh Allen won't let the Bills slip too far either, andas long as he's healthy Buffalo will be heard from.
4. NFC West – The Niners and Rams at the top is a solid one-two punch. But questions on the Seahawks and Cardinals knock the group below the top three. Seattle has some pieces in place to surprise but ultimately it's hard to believe in Geno Smith come playoff time.
5. AFC South – This one requires some faith. First, C.J. Stroud and the Texans need to be more than one-hit wonders, which seems like a pretty safe bet considering how well Stroud played and the improvements the team made. The Jags need a healthy and productive season out of Trevor Lawrence, and the Colts need Anthony Richardson to show significant development in Year 2. If those things happen, this is a solid division even with the Titans rebuilding.
6. AFC West – The Chiefs should be worth more than this lonely ranking but quarterback issues in Las Vegas (Gardner Minshew) and Denver (Bo Nix?) make it tough to expect much. Jim Harbaughs Chargers should be improved (assuming Justin Herbert's foot injury isn't a problem) but not enough for a higher ranking.
7. NFC North – Lots of talent in Philly and Dallas but lots of questions to go with it. Contracts in Dallas and possible turmoil in Philly could hold one or both back. The Giants and Commanders figure to struggle as they try to work their way back into playoff contention.
8. NFC South – This division has resided in the basement for a couple of years now. The Panthers and Saints are in consideration for worst teams in football. The Bucs are scrappy and limited under Baker Mayfield. The Falcons have the potential for a big rise under Kirk Cousins, but there were still questions. Overall, not great.
Extra Points
It was interesting to see how various teams handled playing time in the preseason, particularly in Week 3. While the Patriots chose to play the majority of their starters, most teams did not. The weekend was full of updates from teams listing an array of players who were not expected to play in the game that night. That included Washington, a young and rebuilding team that chose to sit out roughly three dozen regulars. The Commanders rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, was in street clothes watching as Brissett and Maye worked against a variety of backups. … After watching bits and pieces of some of the nationally televised preseason games it seems clear that the league has offered a directive to talk up the new so-called "dynamic" kickoff rules. The term seems to accompany every reference to the rule change as the announcers enthusiastically discuss the potential strategy that will come in the regular season. Based on the summer results, the dynamic part of the returns has been lacking. Teams had trouble consistently getting past the 25-yard line. With so many players congregated in such a small area, the new returns resemble short-yardage running plays with too much congestion for big plays. Teams likely will unveil new schemes once the games start counting, but if coverage units have a hard time dealing with the wrinkles the likely solution would be to go back to the touchback route. Still worth keeping an eye on once the season kicks off.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
