The Patriots fell to 1-3 on the season on Sunday, losing in blowout fashion to the 49ers 30-13.
And to be quite honest, that score makes it seem closer than it really was.
Nine-year veteran Jacoby Brissett was, yet again, the man under center for New England, as the team continues to nurture rookie quarterback Drake Maye through his “development plan.”
Jerod Mayo told The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning that Brissett was to remain the team’s starting quarterback, despite their record and his lack of production over the last three weeks.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the New England Patriots attempts to throw a pass while being pressured in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
After spending the better part of 15 minutes delivering a vote of confidence to Brissett, Mayo made a point to say that he reserves the right to make a switch at any position, if he feels it’s in the best interest of the football team.
Essentially, Mayo did the verbal equivalent of crossing his fingers behind his back while making a promise he knew he wasn’t going to keep.
He attempted to clean this up a bit in his virtual press conference with the media immediately following the interview, but it doesn’t really matter. Mayo has consistently delivered a semi-mixed message on all things quarterback since the middle of training camp.
So what does Brissett think?
He was asked about the “Drake Maye noise” by WEEI’s Andy Hart on Monday’s WEEI Afternoon Show.
“Well, one, I don’t control that part of this whole process thing, at all,” said Brissett. “Do I hear it? Of course, I’m not deaf.
“I mean like, I’m not blind to the fact that we drafted this guy number three overall. Like, that’s what people feel like they wanna see, you know what I mean? It’s just, I don’t know - I try to just block it out and do my thing, you know?”
For the fans who have been championing the idea of sticking with Brissett at starting quarterback, one of the main arguments made is, “This team around Maye isn’t good enough to just throw him out there.”
Hart shared this specific fan sentiment with Brissett, and said, “Well, they’re throwing you out there. Like, you’re a human being, you’re a professional. Like, is that disrespectful to you?”
“Yeah, it is,” said Brissett. “But at the same time, it’s just like - a lot of those people don’t know me. So therefore, like I could not care less, but it’s just more of like, why waste my time to like worry about the people who say those things?
“Like I said, I just block it out.”
If things don’t get off to a smooth start on Sunday in Week 5 at Gillette Stadium against the Dolphins, that Foxborough crowd will be impossible to block out, as chants of “DRAKE! DRAKE! DRAKE!” and “WE WANT MAYE!” will come raining down from the 300s all the way to the front row.
If (when) that happens, let’s see how long everyone is willing to keep playing nice.
