Do you recall that beautiful Friday afternoon in April when Drake Maye appeared at Gillette Stadium for the first time following the NFL Draft?
He was “stoked.”
He was “pumped.”
Correction: He was “super pumped.”
Meanwhile, Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ first-year coach, was measured. if there is such a thing as super measured, perhaps even more so.
“I don’t think many rookies are ready to just jump in and play,” said Mayo, as if to cool the jets at Maye’s introductory flyover.
Since then, it has been assumed that veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett will start for New England until Maye is… “ready.” Was it not the very reason the Patriots had reclaimed Brissett in the first place? He would start the “season” as the quarterback, and then, after, say, four weeks, there would be this very planned handoff between him and former Patriots quarterback turned 98.5 “The future is now!!!” exclaims Sports Hub analyst Scott Zolak as Maye gallops onto the field for his first drive of the debut.PatsUnite
However, as the Patriots get ready to play the Washington Commanders in their preseason finale on Sunday night, the most anticipated narrative of the summer is going to be who will start at quarterback for New England in their opening game of the season on September 8 against Cincinnati.
It is hardly surprising that there is a lively discussion about the Patriots’ quarterback position throughout the preseason. It was the biggest no-brainer in Earth history, to paraphrase the old mortgage commercial that used to broadcast on sports-talk radio stations worldwide.
Simply put, no one was inclined to accept it. As an illustration, let us say someone had asked you back in June whether the Pats’ second preseason game would spark a “quarterback debate” if Brissett did not light it up and Maye showed indications he was ready for the demanding role of starting quarterback in the NFL.
Well, that term “quarterback dispute” is a stretch. However, the truth is that on a rainy night at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots lost 14–13 to the Eagles, and Brissett didn’t exactly light it up (3–for–17 for 17 yards spread over three series). Furthermore, Maye actually saw game action and performed like a legitimate NFL quarterback. He led the Pats to a touchdown drive. All right, so it is not exactly stop-the-presses stuff—eight plays for 49 yards and a 4-yard keeper into the end zone are not bad. And let us not discuss who played for the Eagles, nor should we speculate on the makeup of New England’s offensive line, nor should we discuss receiving depth.
We can discuss Mayo’s remarks from Monday regarding quarterbacking. When asked who would start at quarterback for the Patriots in the season opener, he responded as follows:: “We still don’t know right now. We have another preseason game, and then a week after that. When I know, I’ll let you know.”
For astute, devoted Patriots supporters, it feels like old times come back. This is not the first time, and it will not be the last, that the Patriots have made a significant investment in a quarterback during the NFL Draft only to have the head coach declare that the rookie still has a lot to learn, that another player is the team’s starting quarterback, and so forth.
It is also the clearest example, and the most recent. Following their selection of Alabama’s Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Patriots were inundated with testimonies praising Jones’ intelligence, work ethic (one person noted that he was always the first guy in the locker room and the last to leave), toughness, and overall
“Cam’s our quarterback,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, referring to veteran Cam Newton. “Whatever time Jarrett (Stidham) or Mac are ready to challenge and compete, we’ll see how that goes. But right now, for Mac, he’s got a lot of learning in front of him. I know he’s very anxious to get going on it and get started.”
Jones started all 17 games for the Patriots in 2021.
Fans of the Patriots who are older may recall all the excitement, speculation, and point-counterpoint that preceded the 1993 NFL Draft. The first pick belonged to the Patriots. Would they go with Rick Mirer of Notre Dame or Drew Bledsoe of Washington State?
In 1992, the Patriots had four starting quarterbacks: Hugh Millen, Zolak, Tommy Hodson, and lefty Jeff Carlson. They were coming off a 2-14 season. In addition, nobody was interested in the Patriots at all. Four of their home games drew fewer than 35,000 spectators, with 19,429 friends and family attending a 6-0 loss to the Colts on December 6. The management was hoped a new quarterback would spark a spike in season ticket sales.
Bledsoe was chosen by the Patriots. With promptitude, the group’s sales staff produced a newspaper ad with the headline, “WHY ARE THESE MEN SMILING?” Below the title were pictures of two men: an unnamed Pats supporter clutching a few tickets, and Bill Parcells, the new coach of the team, on the left. The advertisement continued, saying, “Hint: On NFL Draft Day, they each got what they wanted! The NFL Draft on Sunday produced the new Patriots that head coach Bill Parcells was looking for. The fan on the right called and bought the best 1993 Season Tickets that were available. They are both grinning now!
What does this advertisement teach us? First of all, it offers archeological proof that there once was a period of time when Bill Parcells was not only permitted but also encouraged to shop for groceries. What is more relevant to this conversation is that it shows how the Patriots were focusing their season ticket campaign around their new Wazzu quarterback.
So what happened?
“He’ll play when he’s ready,” harumphed Parcells, referring to Bledsoe. “I promise you I won’t throw him to the wolves. He was the best pure passer in this draft. He’s young … he’s got a chance to be a good veteran quarterback by the time he’s 23, 24 years old. For now, his role will be to learn our system.”
Parcells kept his promise and did not abandon Bledsoe. The Bills, Lions, Seahawks, Jets, Cardinals, Dolphins, Steelers, Bengals, Browns, and Colts were among the teams he threw him to. The rookie made 13 appearances, 12 of which were starts.
Bledsoe had one of the most important seasons in Patriots history because to Parcells’ coaching. The Pats finished 1993 with a 5-11 record, but they won their final four games, including the season-ending 33-27 overtime thriller in which Bledsoe and Michael Timpson connected for the game-winning touchdown. Rumors were circulating that owner James Orthwein was considering sending the Patriots to St. Louis, and this was seen as a potential “Last Hurrah,” to paraphrase the famous Edwin O’Connor book.
Parcells was only expressing his opinion when he said that Bledsoe should not be sent “to the wolves.” Belichick was merely expressing his opinion when he said, “Cam’s our quarterback.”
Furthermore, Mayo was merely expressing his opinion when he said that he did not think many rookies were prepared to play right away.
Oh, and I will add this: in 1971, coach John Mazur said, “We believe Jim Plunkett is the Joe Namath of the future, but remember that sometimes you can ruin a young quarterback by trying to bring him in too fast,” following the Patriots’ selection of Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
It was merely something to say, absurdly so in this instance. Plunkett played every down of every game for the 1971 Patriots in addition to starting all 14 of them.
In a few weeks, do not be startled if Maye finds himself starting at quarterback for the Patriots against the Bengals.
(Photo: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)
