Yes you lovely lot, the Maye era may-e be officially commencing. With Head Coach Jerod Mayo naming third over all draft selection, Drake Maye as the Patriots starting quarterback against the Houston Texans this Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Whilst a lot of fans are happy, many are excited, some are concerned and a few, scared. All with good reason! Whilst they aren’t sending Maye off to war, they are throwing him to the bulls… get it? Texans… long horns…
Anyways!
Other than the quarterback not-exactly-controversy, but more just how much of a beating can the warrior Jacoby take, the prime topic of Patriots content producing peeps and fans alike, has been the offensive line.
For the side of the “just start Maye” we have heard cries of; he’s more mobile, he can get out of the pocket, he has a way better arm to make quicker throws, Maye needs the experience. All possibly true of course. There are the counters of; The o-line sucks they’ll get him killed, he still isn’t ready, he needs more time to learn. Again more truths amongst those too.
The long and the short of the matter is, the offensive line is possibly going to spend the 2024 season in flux thanks to injuries, a lack of depth and possibly, whilst I hate to say so am trying to whisper it… some lack of talent.
However… Mayo has now named Maye.
So, okay here we go, as they like to say!
Since Tom Brady broke our hearts and left, the quarterback room has been unfortunately… lacking. But come on we had the GOAT folks. However, the likes of Stid the kid (Jarrett Stidham), Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones could never really live up to the expectation. Being perfectly honest, Tom Brady returning probably couldn’t live up to the expectations fans may have after twenty years of Brady Belichick but did those other guys really stand much of a chance?
Of course you can argue they did! But the years following Brady’s departure didn’t just see quarterback flux, it saw the changing of the guard with some of the key veterans that won all those delightful superbowls leaving. It saw the retirement (as a Patriot at least) of the greatest tight end ever, one Rob Gronkowski! It saw the possible decline of Belichick, the exit of Josh McDaniels, and coaching depletion for the mass move to Vegas. It also saw the Matt Patricia in the wrong-and-too-many-roles era, the no actual o-line coach season. I’m sure I’m missing something else key but I’m sure you get my point.
Now we have a new youthful Head Coach ready to work hard, but having to find his way. A super experienced offensive co-ordinator who is in his first real year of play calling, a true offensive line coach dealing with more injuries in his players than you can literally shake a stick at, and a defensive co-ordinator with eight seasons of experience with the team but is also in his first year of a new role.
So I plead with you Pats fans, whilst I know I am the biggest advocate for you fan your way and no one has any right to tell you how to fan (please tune in to Pats Procrastination for more of these little nuggets!) I hope you don’t mind me saying, temper the expectation a smidge and let’s enjoy the excitement of (possibly…probably) the real beginning of the rebuild!
Go Pats!
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Great article!