Jerod Mayo Delivers Message To ‘Start Drake Maye’ Crowd

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is responsible for a fair share of the jockeying when it comes to New England's starting quarterback.

Mayo was the one to say Drake Maye outplayed Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, which caught many off guard. Mayo also has been the one to use qualifiers like "right now" or "at this point" when he refers to Brissett as the starter.

Well, Mayo tried to clear some of that up Monday. And in doing so, the first-year head coach sent a pretty clear message to the "Start Drake Maye" crowd.

"I'm not trying to send mixed messages, and when I said, 'The right to change my mind,' I'm talking about the entire team," Mayo told reporters one day after New England's 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

"Jacoby is 100% our starter. He's 100% our starter and that's how we're going to look at this going forward."

Those sentiments from Mayo came shortly after his morning appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." Mayo said he understood why some fans are pushing for Maye, but stressed the decision -- his decision -- is made with more than a few weeks in mind.

"I think the hard part about it -- look, all the fans, you guys here, media -- they want to see the third overall pick play," Mayo told the radio station. "And I understand the frustration from the fans, I understand the frustration from you guys in here (media).

"What we’re doing is what we think is best. What I'm doing is what I think is best for the Patriots today and also in the future, and that's how I have to look at these things. You guys look at these things on a week-to-week basis. I think there's a combination of multiple things I have to deal with."

What I'm doing is what I think is best for the Patriots today and also in the future, and that's how I have to look at these things.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo

Mayo said the Patriots entered the season with a plan at the quarterback position and knew there would be bumps and bruises along the way. And the Brissett-led offense, which ranks dead last in yards and 31st in points scored, certainly has fulfilled those expectations. But it seems that's not going to prompt Mayo and company to stray off course.

"Look, he's (Brissett) done a good job doing what we've asked," Mayo told reporters. "Are there a lot of plays we can do a better job with? Absolutely. But I would never question his toughness, dependability and leadership style for this team. That's what we need right now."

Brissett has been under constant pressure, playing behind one of the worst past-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. Brissett hasn't been perfect himself, and his Week 4 performance in San Francisco was his worst of the season. His most recent outing is going to cause the outside noise to get a bit louder, no doubt.

But Mayo tried his best to quiet it down -- at least for right now.