Why Starting Drake Maye Would Be ‘Desperation Move’ For Patriots

There was new chatter that Drake Maye could take over as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, but it would be a tall task to ask the rookie to fix New England’s flaws.

Head coach Jerod Mayo on Monday seemed open to the idea of benching Jacoby Brissett, and there was increased speculation after Mike Reiss published an opinion piece suggesting Maye could start. Reiss’ ESPN colleague, Adam Schefter, validated the column when he said there was potential Maye could start this Sunday against the Houston Texans.

NESN’s George Balkeji and Travis Thomas debated on “Boston Has Entered The Chat” if the time was right for Maye, and Balekji wondered if there was more to the Schefter speculation than what was presented.

“Could be the Patriots picking up the phone, ‘Hey put this report on Schefter,’ because Robert Kraft’s sitting in that stadium where it was like 75-85% full,” Balekji told Thomas. “A lot of boos raining on a beautiful fall day in New England.’ Wait, why isn’t this stadium full? We’ve been on the road. It’s our second home game of the year.’ I’d rather go drink apple cider, have apple cider donuts than go watch that team.’ That’s what people are saying. ‘I’d rather be at home and watching ‘RedZone.’ This is a desperation play by the Patriots in my opinion. It’s not going to go well.”

Balekji and Thomas agreed that Mayo, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and the offensive line weren’t suitable enough to support Maye and give the 2024 No. 3 overall pick a chance to succeed. The Texans were the top team in generating pressure after Week 5, and it’s a recipe for disaster against a Patriots team that is among the leaders in pressure given up.

Hear more of Balekji and Thomas’ conversation on “Boston Has Entered The Chat” on Spotify and YouTube.