Jerod Mayo confused New England Patriots fans when he admitted Drake Maye "outplayed" Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, but it's a remark that made perfect sense for a franchise legend.
The confusion mounted for supporters when Mayo added that Maye was the second quarterback behind Brissett, who said on WEEI on Tuesday that he felt like he was the starter.
Bill Belichick highlighted how inflated preseason performance can be, and James White pointed out the team dynamics when it comes to evaluation.
"Mayo said in his press conference that in a straight-up competition, Drake Maye is outperforming Jacoby Brissett, but he's still the second-best quarterback on the roster," White said on the "Money Down" podcast. "People were like, 'That doesn’t make sense.' It makes perfect sense. When there’s a competition, not the best player can win the competition. That's just the nature of sports. It don’t matter how talented you are, how good you are. Whoever shows up during that competition could go out there and win it.
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"I think he's just saying Jacoby's the best guy for our team as of right now. Can that change? Yes, of course. At some point, down the line, that may happen. If it's Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and he just looking that good during practice slicing up the defense and the offense ain’t really doing much, why not? Throw the guy out there and see if he can make some stuff happen."
The debate around whether or not Maye should start likely won't subside until Mayo comes out with a clear reason, but it still might not satisfy fans after seeing the rookie light up in game action.
Featured image via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
