Patriots writer dismisses unique Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye idea

With the 1-3 New England Patriots seemingly headed toward the franchise's third-straight losing season, some have suggested that both current starter Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye could receive snaps during games since Maye is getting roughly 30 percent of the first-team reps during practices.

Paul Perillo, a writer and editor for the Patriots' website, poured cold water over that idea in a mailbag published on Tuesday. 

"I think it would be especially difficult for a quarterback to enter a game, find a rhythm and then go sit down while another quarterback goes in," Perillo wrote. "Alternating quarterbacks is difficult because it's tough to establish any consistency if you're not playing regularly. A few snaps once in a while isn't enough to fight through the mistakes and learn how to avoid them. Experience is almost always the best teacher, so when the coaches feel Drake Maye is ready mentally, he will play." 

As recently as Monday, Mayo left little doubt that Brissett "is 100% our starter" heading into New England's home game versus the 1-3 Miami Dolphins this coming Sunday. With that said, ESPN stats show that New England ended Week 4 ranked last in the league with an average of 112.3 passing yards per game and 31st with an average of 13.0 points scored per contest. Thus, one can't blame impatient fans for wondering why Maye, the third overall pick of this year's draft, isn't getting an opportunity to show what he can do against live defenses in games that aren't already decided. 

For what it's worth, Perillo mentioned in a different article published on Tuesday that he's changed his mind about being a "play Maye" guy and now thinks the 22-year-old should remain a spectator after Brissett was sacked a whopping 11 times over the past two games while playing behind a woeful offensive line. 

"There is a strong argument to be made that inserting Maye into the lineup now could be detrimental toward his development," Perillo explained. "Constant pressure, both physical and mental, is not a great environment to begin a career. Maye would be facing enormous amounts of both – relentless pass rush that includes pressure rates on roughly half of the team's drop backs through four weeks as well as the need to jumpstart a sagging offense."

The fact that the Patriots' website began October essentially encouraging fans to pump the brakes regarding Maye receiving his first regular-season start could say plenty about the club's plans for the first-year pro. Perhaps, as some expected before the start of the season, Mayo will wait until New England's Week 14 bye in December to make the switch assuming Brissett stays healthy enough to play over the team's next nine games.