Without an O-Line, Drake Maye Could End Up Like Archie Manning (running for his life!)

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I wouldn't want to be the New England Patriots quarterback right now. The O-line was bad to start the season and has only gotten worse with the recent injuries. For a quarterback, it's a lot like going through a medieval gauntlet. There's no pocket, and you're constantly getting battered and beaten.

Thirty-one-year-old veteran Jacoby Brissett has done everything possible to stay upright, but he's taken some big hits. His lack of offensive production is partly because he's been chum for the blood-thirsty defenses he's faced. They're coming for him on every play.

The local media hasn't been kind, and the fan base has demanded better production at that position. However, their number three draft pick overall, Drake Maye, is being brought along slowly, and the organization is trying to protect him so he doesn't end up going the route of Mac Jones.

Many veteran quarterbacks have been mentioned as possible replacements for Brissett, but I don't see where another quarterback will fare much better. I remember how Archie Manning fared when he was drafted second overall by the Saints in 1971 when they had no O-line. Many believe he was the best Manning to play the quarterback position, but even he couldn't escape the oncoming rush when he was young and had great wheels.

In '69, while playing for Ole Miss, Archie Manning led the SEC with 14 rushing touchdowns and was 9th in rushing with 502 yards in ten games. He never put up the numbers in the NFL that many believe he was capable of because the Saints had such a terrible O-line. In 11 years with the Saints, Archie was 35-91-3 and was sacked 340 times for a loss of 2,640 yards. Playing in 13 games in 1975, he was sacked 49 times for 390 yards.

My biggest question is why New England didn't spend more on the O-line in the off-season when they were aware of the problem.

Jacoby Brissett is like the lightning rod on the roof of a house. He's the one getting zapped to protect the house, in this case, Drake Maye. But how long can he do it before he gets carried off the field on a stretcher. You couldn't pay me enough to do it…

Look for the Pats to get their head handed to them by the Niners today. I just hope for Brissett's sake, that's figuratively speaking…