Garbage time in the Meadowlands hasn’t been that intriguing since Tony Soprano entered therapy.
Drake Maye gave a glimpse of the future in his late-game NFL debut against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, and it was a welcome respite from the sadistic experience of watching Jacoby Brissett take five sacks and hit after hit.
But in front of a national audience, New England showed themselves woefully ill-equipped to play their quarterback of the future for all four quarters, never mind 14 more weeks.
The banged up offensive line looked poor and porous. Rookie Caedan Wallace flashed his athleticism in his first start at left tackle, in for an injured Vederian Lowe, but showed just as much of his inexperience as he drew multiple holding calls. Brissett looked like a rag doll by the end of the game, and the Jets weren’t even at full strength. Star linebacker C.J. Mosely was out with an injury.
“It’s not only knowing how to do it, it’s knowing what to do,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo of the line’s performance.
The situation in the trenches might improve after ten days of rest. It can’t get much worse, as Wallace left the game with a knee injury as Maye entered. When you’re down to your fourth-string left tackle, you don’t have a left tackle.
Choosing to throw Maye into his first start behind this offensive line, with anyone besides Lowe on the roster playing left tackle, would be totally irresponsible.
Maye was sacked twice in his short stretch of play. It wasn’t fun to watch the pocket collapse on the 22-year-old like a sandcastle under a bully’s foot. But he also showed his ability to scramble for 11 yards and convert a 4th-and-8 for a first down, thanks in part to a block from fellow rookie, Ja’Lynn Polk. He had an impressive 15-yard connection in the waning minutes of the game with DeMario Douglas. It was exciting to see what may be if these young guys are able to mature into fully-formed offensive weapons.
Mayo owned the call to throw Maye in.
“It was too good of an opportunity for him to go out there and get some experience,” he said.
Agreed. The blowout presented a chance for Maye to feel the speed and physicality of a real NFL game, and he was able to keep himself safe for a few minutes. It suggests impressive growth behind the scenes.
But then Mayo didn’t commit to a starter in Week Four, and that’s a little scary.
Four-plus minutes is a very different proposition than four quarters. Beyond concerns about whether or not Maye can physically protect himself, there’s also a downside for his development. No quarterback scenarios are Apples to Apples, but take a look at the corner the Carolina Panthers have painted themselves into with Bryce Young. New England’s roster is closer to 2023 Carolina than 2023 Houston, unfortunately.
The Patriots defense also underwhelmed in Jersey. That may seem irrelevant to a quarterback conversation, but quarterbacks are the leaders of the entire team. More often than not, when it hits the fan, the guy under center (or in shotgun, in Maye’s case) wants to put on his Superman cape and save his team’s bacon. The defense doesn’t have anything to brag about. They gave up 267 passing yards and 133 rushing yards.
Maye could easily end up injured or reverting to the lowest common denominator to try to win games, stungting his long-term development.
The timing of Maye’s start might not even be in the Patriots’ hands. He should be the backup and the first quarterback in if catastrophe should befall Brissett. But control what you can control, and that goes for starting the kid.