Jerod Mayo keeping starting QB decision to himself until Thursday
On Wednesday, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told the media that he has made a decision at starting quarterback, making up his mind as to who will start Week 1 in Cincinnati.
He also told the media that he’s keeping that decision to himself until Thursday.
“I know everyone wants to know that,” Mayo said when asked directly who had won the starting job. “I’m gonna talk to the individual players tomorrow - we’re gonna have a team meeting tomorrow, and then I’ll get it to you guys.
“We’ve made a decision, just haven’t communicated it. And honestly, I want those guys to hear it first from me before they hear it from someone else.”
When asked why he didn’t share the quarterback news with his team Wednesday morning, he said it was a “hectic day,” in reference to the league’s noon deadline for waiver claims being placed.
The Patriots were the second-most active team at that deadline, claiming four new players from around the league:
- OT Zachary Thomas
- OT Demontrey Jacobs
- DT Eric Johnson
- LB Curtis Jacobs
New England was only behind Carolina on waiver pickups, as the Panthers added six players at the deadline.
Between waiver claims and Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline to set the 53-man roster, Mayo’s “hectic” excuse is plausible.
And when I asked veteran wide receiver K.J. Osborn if the wide receiver room had any inclination as to who would be throwing them passes in Week 1, he told me they had “no clue” who had won the job. But even with this uncertainty, prep for the wideouts remains status quo.
“It doesn’t change our prep,” said Osborn. “I know this is kind of like the business that we’re in. You know, we’re definitely in a unique situation, you know?
“You know, it’s probably pretty different. But no, I don’t think it changes our preparations. You know, keep our preparations the same, and we kind of leave that decision up to the coaches.”
So it appears Mayo’s decision has yet to make the rounds in the locker room, and may only be known by an extremely small group of people.
When asked who was a part of the decision-making process at QB, Mayo said he and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt “have had those conversations,” and that Van Pelt has received input from his offensive staff. He also said vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has weighed in with him on the positional battle.
Despite all of that, Mayo wanted to make it abundantly clear:
“Ultimately, it’s my decision to make.”
When asked if his announcement to the team at quarterback would require an accompanying explanation, he went back to a similar refrain.
“Look, they’ve gone through the process as well,” said Mayo. “They’ve gone through the spring with these players, on through training with these players. I’m sure they all have an opinion on who they think should be the starting quarterback.
“But I don’t think I have to explain it to anyone else. It’s my decision, and if it doesn’t work, blame me.”
Piggybacking off of this answer, Mayo may have left us with a breadcrumb for a possible, eventual quarterback change at some point during the season.
“I think it's important to remember what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line,” said Mayo. “So, I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also we're trying to build something special here in New England. So that, to me, that was a challenge.”
Does that mean we’re almost certainly getting nine-year veteran Jacoby Brissett in Week 1, with rookie Drake Maye eventually unseating him as the starter later in the season?
Is the tug-and-pull between “winning every single game now” and “building something special” related to fears of Maye playing behind a dysfunctional offensive line?
“I think some of that stuff is being overblown,” said Mayo. “I would say we averaged five yards a carry - it was one sack and two quarterback hits [against the Commanders]. I mean, if you were to say that was the stat line, you would be okay with that.
“Now in saying that, we're still just trying to get better.”
Let’s see if Thursday brings us more clarity at QB.
In the meantime, we get at least 24 more hours of local quarterback debates on radio, TV and in your group chats.
Enjoy!
