On Monday, CBS Sports sideline reporter Evan Washburn reported that Patriots rookie back-up quarterback Drake Maye has been getting “30% of first team reps” at practice, going on to say that most back-up quarterbacks around the league will typically only get somewhere between 5 and 10%.
On Friday, Patriots head coach confirmed Washburn’s report during his media availability before practice.
“That's definitely accurate,” said Mayo. “It's not a secret. We have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, I would say the starter gets, let's say, 95% of the reps and the backup doesn't. With this, it's a little bit different.
“We had a conversation, how do we – I guess the struggle is, how do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake. So, it is like a 70-30 split.”
Throughout training camp, Mayo consistently referenced a strict development plan that the team had for their third overall pick, yet was cagey with ever revealing hard details of the plan.
On Friday, for a moment, that curtain was peeled.
“When we talk about [how] we have a development plan for Drake, that's part of it,” said Mayo. “I try not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters. He does a good job on the show team as well. He's doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”
Later in the day on Friday, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made an appearance on WEEI’s Jones & Keefe as a part of the station’s “Patriots Friday” coverage, and he talked about the challenge of developing Maye while also making sure starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett gets the reps he needs to be ready for Sundays.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a fine line,” said Van Pelt. “You don’t want to take reps away from your starter. I mean, every rep you have during the week is valuable, so it’s finding the right reps to get Drake in there, to let him continue his growth.
“And at the same time, when Jacoby’s not in there -assuming, maybe, a defensive period, we’ll take Drake off to the side and kind of walk him through the script and let him go out and call the plays from practice as well. So there’s a fine line of taking reps from the starter but also being able to develop a young quarterback. And I think Drake has done, really the last couple of weeks, has really done a great job.”
Van Pelt went on to say that in all his years in the league as both a player and a coach, he hasn’t had a situation like this one where a young back-up quarterback was getting so much of the first team reps at practice.
“Usually the guys I’ve been around have been the veteran guys, so this is new,” said Van Pelt. “But just continue the development - at the same time, we’re doing everything in our power throughout the course of the week to win that game on Sunday.
“That’s the most important, but at the same time, we still have to continue to develop Drake.”
It’s clear from both Van Pelt’s interview with Jones & Keefe and Washburn’s report from earlier this week that this type of in-season back-up QB development plan is uncommon for a starting quarterback to deal with.
Mayo praised Brissett’s handling of this unique situation.
“Since day one, I've always said that he's a true professional,” said Mayo of the nine-year veteran. “I've always said that he's a great mentor, not only for Drake, but the other quarterback in the room in [Joe] Milton. He understands.
“Look, he's a professional. He's won games in this league. He understands that we drafted Drake as the number three pick in the draft, and looking out the front windshield, at some point in time – I don't know when that time will come – [Maye will] have to go out there and play.
“Just seeing the relationship in the quarterback room has been special for me. It is very hard. When we talk about checking your ego at the door, I would say that Jacoby is one of those guys that is egoless. He wants to do what's best for the team, not about him. Whether he throws for 150 yards or 350 yards, he's very consistent and just a true professional.”
Brissett’s ability to remain egoless was on full display during Week 1, as the starter only completed 15 balls for 121 yards in his team’s 16-10 upset win at Cincinnati.
We’ll see if Brissett’s lack of reps continues to yield winning results on Sunday, as the Patriots host the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener.
BetMGM currently lists the Patriots as 3.5-point underdogs.
That game kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.