New England Patriots fans were split on whether Jerod Mayo’s decision to start rookie quarterback Drake Maye in Week 6 against the Houston Texans was a good one. One NFL insider is downright against Maye starting this season, let alone against one of the league’s premier defenses.
“False. Stick to the plan. New England has long wanted Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft, to get something close to a redshirt this year,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “The offensive line is only getting worse. This feels like an inflection point. Play Maye now and deal with the growing pains or protect him and make him the 2025 starter from the first day of the offseason.
“We’ve seen this show too many times, the rookie quarterback thrust into action in the name of teams trying to see what they have. How did that work out for Bryce Young? The Patriots aren’t one player away.”
It’s not the lack of talent on Maye’s part that has people questioning the decision. It’s more that the signal-caller is being thrown out there behind an offensive line that has personnel changes in each game and has allowed a league-high 48% pressure on drop backs. Regardless of any public pushback, Mayo is defending his decision.
“I mean, look, every team, even this early in the season, is still trying to figure out who they have, what they are as an organization and their identity,” Mayo told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “What I would say, look, we’re good with Drake. Every team doesn’t have a, let’s say, a ‘one’ receiver or ‘one’ running back. They don’t have those kinds of things, but I would say that Drake is going to make us a better football team today and going forward.”
Story continues below advertisement
The issue is not just the player under center or the offensive line trying to protect him, but the play-calling itself, which is on Mayo and the rest of the coaching staff.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
