In the Least Dramatic Decision of All Time, the Patriots Have Named Jacoby Brissett Their QB1. For Now.

And so the decision everyone saw coming, that everyone in the Patriots organization from Jerod Mayo to Alex Van Pelt to Jacoby Brissett himself called in like they were making a dinner reservation:

... is now official. 

There are times in this world when an established cultural institution makes a bold, even shocking move that reinvents itself. The Beatles going from 3-chord love songs to ground-breaking, experimental Psychedelia. Bob Dylan going from Folk to electric. Beyonce going Country. 

But if every artist did that all the time, we'd never get what we really like. The familiar. The safe. Bland, even. Sometimes the situation calls for you to keep it between the guardrails and make it home without incident. It's one thing to change the course of history. But most of the time we just want to listen to Jimmy Buffett sing about getting drunk under a palm tree. And starting Brissett over Drake Maye is the NFL personnel equivalent of "The Weather is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful." 

This might be a letdown to anyone who was expecting something dramatic and sexy. But that kind of thinking just means you haven't been paying attention all summer as the Pats were signalling this move with everything from Semaphore flags to Aldis lamps. And it would be understandable. We're coming off a Dynasty whose origin story was the most significant and successful quarterback change of all time. And that just three years ago this week tried to reboot the Dynasty by replacing a former MVP with a rookie. So being risk-averse hasn't exactly been in this franchise's DNA. 

Still, this is the right move. The prudent one. You can't spell "Bridge QB" without "B-R-I" and that stands for Brissett. It's why he was brought here on a one-year deal. So that Drake Maye's "sooner or later" could be a little bit later. And I suppose in a safe, bland, risk-averse way, Mayo is making a bold decision to NOT start his best quarterback. Which Maye most definitely has been. For a good three weeks or so. Ever since those joint practices with the Eagles where he lit up Philly's defense with a 9-for-9 start while Brissett was throwing picks. And yet, I support this move. Like I said earlier this week:

I'm on Team Maye all the way. I love the way he's begun realizing his potential right before our eyes. … But all that progress will be squandered until Alex Van Pelt and Scott Peters finally come up with a combination that can do a decent impression of an professional offensive line. An NFL O-line tribute band. 

With that, I go back to a premise I've settled on over the last 10 days or so. Until I can get my Marketing Department to workshop a better name, I'm calling it "Maye in October." (Submit your ideas in the comments below.) I say again, around here September has traditionally been an extension of training camp. Just look at how many times this team had Super Bowl years that started out 2-2. "We're onto Cincinnati" being the most memorable example. …

And if no other change happens, at the very least the offensive staff can finally, at long last, settle on a starting five, let them coalesce around David Andrews and knock off the constant experimentation that's gotten them nowhere. The outside zone scheme Van Pelt and Peters brought with them from Cleveland requires a lot of time and constant repetition to get the choreography right. By October, we'll all be a month older, but hopefully four games closer to finally fixing this problem. And with three home games, plus a neutral site game, you'd be putting the future of your franchise in a much more advantageous position than if you throw him overboard and tell him to swim now.

Until we hear otherwise, I'm going to proceed under the assumption that's the plan. Maye in October. That will put the most important person in the Patriots quest to return to their former glory in a much more advantageous position than making him face Cincinnati, the Jets and San Francisco on the road, and Seattle at home. And getting him ready to Moses this team out of the wilderness and to the Land of Milk & Honey is the one true priority in 2024. 

As far as excitement goes? That can wait until Week 5. Against the Dolphins. At Gillette. On Fox. With Tom Brady in the broadcast booth. Circle that one one your calendar, relax and enjoy the sweet, sweet blandness until then.