Going into Thursday night’s preseason debut for the New England Patriots, there was a hope from the fanbase of a healthy dose of Drake Maye at quarterback against the Carolina Panthers.
This hope, of course, because of head coach Jerod Mayo’s comments from Tuesday, saying all four quarterbacks would play in Preseason Week 1.
With Jacoby Brissett as the presumptive starter for Week 1 of the regular season, one series for him with the first-team offense was an assumed outcome.
But for the rookie back-up to get that same treatment in his first live action as a pro? That came as a surprise to the media and fans alike.
In his postgame press conference on Thursday, Mayo told the media that Maye’s one series was always the plan, and said that having him play behind the first-team offensive line as opposed to a group of backups played a factor in the decision.
During Friday morning’s media availability via Webex, he further explained the coaching staff’s reasoning.
“Going into the game, I talked to [Alex Van Pelt], [Ben] McAdoo and the entire offensive staff about what’s the plan for the quarterback, and this conversation has been ongoing,” said Mayo. “This was always in the plan, to develop these guys in this way, and we’ll see how it looks going forward.
“It won’t always be the same because we’re still evaluating everyone on the roster. But especially the quarterbacks.”
When asked how important he felt it was for Maye to get reps with game operations - breaking the huddle, calling plays, game management overall - Mayo pointed to the rookie’s practice reps, and upcoming opportunities for reps in both the joint practice and preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Most noteworthy - he outright said that he expects Maye to get more reps during Preseason Week 2.
“I mean, those things are always under consideration,” said Mayo. “I would also say during practice, he gets a lot of reps. And then going to the Eagles week - this, honestly, is a huge week for everyone to practice against the Eagles and, really, we’ll see how the reps break down in the game.
“I expect Drake to get, you know, more reps than he did in the first game against the Eagles.”
It’s clear, at least at the moment, that the Patriots are taking a patient approach to the development of their number three overall pick.
And when asked why it’s important to be patient with Maye, Mayo said, “Each one of these quarterbacks have an individual development plan that I’ve gone over with [Alex Van Pelt] and the rest of his staff, and we’re sticking to that plan until it’s time to change.”
So expect more than six offensive plays for Drake Maye against the Eagles.