The Patriots Might Have Botched the Announcement of Drake Maye's Promotion to QB1, but the Time for This Change is NOW
It's OK to question the way the Patriots handled Drake Maye's elevation to starting quarterback. In a perfect world, it should be a coronation. Done with pomp and circumstance. They should be formal affairs with elaborate ceremonies, steeped in tradition that goes back centuries and worthy of the moment. Or, with the head coach just looking everyone straight into the camera lens and announcing he's going to do what's in the best interested of the T-E-A-M because that's what he's paid to do:
Which is what Jerod Mayo did today, roughly 24 hours after it got leaked to Ian Rapoport:
Admittedly, the timing of the biggest move of the year, and likely one of the biggest in the history of the franchise, was bungled. Mayo spent most of the summer saying that, whatever decision he made about his starting quarterback, his players would be the first to find out. Because as a player he preferred open and honest communication or whatever.
And yet this move was announced by an NFL Network reporter on the Patriots Tuesday off. Undoubtedly leaked to RapSheet by someone in the organization less invested in lines of communication or a Need to Know standard of sharing intel.
If anything, a great case can be made that, if you're going to make the switch at quarterback, the smartest thing to do would be to keep that inside the organization all week. Let the Houston Texans gameplan for Jacoby Brissett, then spring Maye on them at the last minute. (Just to shoehorn in an old Norm MacDonald line for no reason, "I'd like to know who's buried in the grave of the guy who invented the Ol' Switcheroo.") One of the best Patriots of all time wishes they had:
The only logical explanation is that this is how things are done in a large organization that doesn't have one strong-willed, detail-oriented megalomaniac overseeing everything and controlling the message. You're going to have competing interests and people working at cross purposes. Which is how you end up with a head coach having to break the news to his roster who all read it on X like the rest of us.
But however it came out, we should be glad this move is being made. Despite the obvious state of things:
Yes, having the second worst pass protection in the league is problematic. But you can't just cower in fear and let Maye rot on your bench. And delay his development along with an entire depth chart of young wide receivers who play 60 snaps a game and barely ever see the ball. Instead, you work to solve the problem. By continuing to work with the offensive linemen you have:
And by letting your freakishly athletic young quarterback out of the barn and letting him run free:
If not now, when?
I keep hearing that Houston has one of the best pressure rates in the NFL. I don't know where that number is coming from. And while I'm not dismissing their pass rush, here are their stats according to Pro Football Reference:
Blitzes: 27.0%, 14th in the league
Hurries: 9.2%, 14th
QB knockdowns: 10.9%, 10th
Sacks: 15, tied for 8th
Total pressures: 27.0%, 9th
And for the anayltics-minded among you, Pro Football Focus gives Houston a pass rush grade of 64.9, which is 22nd.
All well and good. And a real challenge for the line, for Alex Van Pelt and Scott Peters, and Maye to be sure. But hardly the 1985 Bears. Or even the 2012 Texans with JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Antonio Smith.
But even if they were, that would be the kind of situation Maye needs to deal with in order to become what this franchise needs him to be. In the way Luke couldn't fulfill his destiny until he faced Vader. Danny LaRusso couldn't earn respect until he faced Johnny Lawrence. And Adam West needed to bone every woman in Aspen, CO in order to truly become Batman.
I'm happy to report Maye sees it the same way:
He's ready. The coaching staff is ready. I'm ready. You should be ready. Besides, the schedule gets relatively easier after this. Five weeks is plenty enough time to leave him standing around, watching and learning. Let this kid off the leash and let the new era of Patriots football begin at last.