Mac Jones Says Patriots Offense Was Run by 3 People and nobody knew who was in charge

[jdlboot14]

It was more clear than I ever thought we'd hear from an insider about how ridiculous that '22 season was. Bill had really lost his mind. Mac said enough even in a veiled respectful manner, but Bill had totally turned into Custer's last stand. Burying himself with a few trusted guys and making some of the worst personnel decisions for his own ego - despite ruining the team. Kraft really should have fired Bill after '22. The way he sabotaged the offense, the QB's, ownership (in tanking Mac on purpose). It was awful.

 

[Wozzy]

It was never reported that he didn't have a high first round grade for Mac. Stop making up stuff. It was reported he would rather taken a QB in the second round and that he thought Mac Jones was a good prospect. There was never a report that he wanted to wait for the second round because he didn't view Jones as a high first round prospect (he was drafted in the middle of the first round BTW).

You specifically said he didn’t want Mac because he was a QB… that it was the position. That’s silly. If Mac was Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck Bill would have ran the card to the podium himself.

If Bill had the same grade on Davis Mills or even a better grade than he had for Mac… he wouldn’t want to spend that first on Mac. The collaboration would have to talk him into it… veto him.

I didn’t claim to have inside knowledge, I just pointed out where you were wrong. You suggested BB dislikes or undervalues the QB position when he clearly said in 2024 as an analyst “QB was the Patriots biggest position of need” when discussing their #3 overall.

Lamar Jackson with McDaniels and Belichick and the Patriots might have won a Super Bowl or two. Different team and situation situations could result in different results.

Lamar Jackson had a coach who won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco. He was one of the best most talented programs in the NFL.

Lamar just sucks in the playoffs because the defenses are better and he’s not a great passing QB. He’s a running QB who throws a little. BB didn’t want that, I doubt Josh did either.

Brady was 40 years old when Lamar Jackson was drafted. The Pats needed to draft a successor. Aaron Rodgers sat for years behind Favre and then Jordan Love sat for years behind Rodgers. Both were late first round picks. Jackson would have sat for a few years behind Brady.

Brady played to 45, if they took a QB with their 1st overall pick while Tom was taking less money he would be justified in rioting.

It is clear that Belichick wasn't that high on the Pats drafting him third overall in the clip I posted. You can stick your head in the sand and ignore it.

I don’t remember Bill calling McCarthy a “freak athlete” like he did Drake. BB haters see what they want to see.

 

[Wozzy]

Zappe was good for like a game and half until the Bears showed how to tear Zappe apart and he was awful after that for the rest of the time he was with the Patriots. It took a game and a half for the league to figure him out.

Two starts, two wins, two 100+ QB Ratings.

Mac started the Bears game and stunk the joint up, Zappe didn’t enter the rainy day game until later. This is presumably when Mac went up the backstairs to complain to Bob about Bill because Belichick was probably going to ride the hot hand.

And people have a revisionist history of the Mac's rookie year. He wasn't terrible after the bye. He was inconsistent. Sometimes he was great others he was awful. The real reason the Patriots fell apart down the stretch that year was because the defense fell apart (which was a signature of Patriots defenses the last few years of Belichick era) which forced Mac to play outside of his game and he wasn't ready for it.

He was terrible after the bye.
After the bye week Mac completed 59% of his passes at 6 yards per clip and turned the ball over 8 times in five games.

One game against Jacksonville, the worst team in the entire NFL in 2021, doesn't make him good during that period.

Mac Jones also turned the ball over twice against Miami, that wasn't good regardless of rating.

He got destroyed in the playoffs and oh yeah, sucked for the next two years.

Who we saw after week 13 as a rookie is who we saw for the next two seasons.

It well known Brady was upset in 2019 that Belichick gave him nothing to work with. He never hid it. He was not happy and it affected his play. It doesn't matter how he felt before that. At the point in 2019, the fact that he was concerned about the talent of the team played a factor in him leaving.

I didn't overlook the Mayo era. Without the collapse of the final season of Belichick, the Mayo era would have likely started this season after Belichick broke the record and Vrabel would have gone elsewhere.

Maye was a rookie with no o-line or receivers and no coaching. I agree that coaching matters, but I also feel that Belichick wasn't the same coach he was during the dynasty years.

Brady left because entering 2020 the Patriots had the third most dead cap in the league and no cap space. They had roughly 12 starters or major contributors to replace or sign. They were flat broke… in NFL terms.

 

[Rob0729]

You specifically said he didn’t want Mac because he was a QB… that it was the position. That’s silly. If Mac was Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck Bill would have ran the card to the podium himself.

If Bill had the same grade on Davis Mills or even a better grade than he had for Mac… he wouldn’t want to spend that first on Mac. The collaboration would have to talk him into it… veto him.

I didn’t claim to have inside knowledge, I just pointed out where you were wrong. You suggested BB dislikes or undervalues the QB position when he clearly said in 2024 as an analyst “QB was the Patriots biggest position of need” when discussing their #3 overall.

Lamar Jackson had a coach who won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco. He was one of the best most talented programs in the NFL.

Lamar just sucks in the playoffs because the defenses are better and he’s not a great passing QB. He’s a running QB who throws a little. BB didn’t want that, I doubt Josh did either.

Brady played to 45, if they took a QB with their 1st overall pick while Tom was taking less money he would be justified in rioting.

I don’t remember Bill calling McCarthy a “freak athlete” like he did Drake. BB haters see what they want to see.

I never said that Belichick didn't want Mac. I said he would have preferred to wait until the second round to draft a QB. If he didn't want to draft Mac, they wouldn't have have drafted him. Again, he maintained final say in all personnel decisions.

Joe Flacco won with a historically good defense. Wasn't the 2000 Ravens, but it was up there.

And there was no way in 2018 to know that Brady would play to 45. Even if Brady knew he could, nobody else could have predicted it for sure. Belichick was preparing to move on when he drafted Garoppolo several years earlier.

I don't think Belichick puts as much stock in "freak athletic" QB as you think. He drafted primarily pocket passers and rarely looked for the guys who could scramble outside the pocket.

 

[Rob0729]

Two starts, two wins, two 100+ QB Ratings.

Mac started the Bears game and stunk the joint up, Zappe didn’t enter the rainy day game until later. This is presumably when Mac went up the backstairs to complain to Bob about Bill because Belichick was probably going to ride the hot hand.

He was terrible after the bye.
After the bye week Mac completed 59% of his passes at 6 yards per clip and turned the ball over 8 times in five games.

One game against Jacksonville, the worst team in the entire NFL in 2021, doesn't make him good during that period.

Mac Jones also turned the ball over twice against Miami, that wasn't good regardless of rating.

He got destroyed in the playoffs and oh yeah, sucked for the next two years.

Who we saw after week 13 as a rookie is who we saw for the next two seasons.

Brady left because entering 2020 the Patriots had the third most dead cap in the league and no cap space. They had roughly 12 starters or major contributors to replace or sign. They were flat broke… in NFL terms.

The Bears players said all they had to do with Zappe is not rush and hold the line and throw up their hands and it confused Zappe.

He wasn't terrible after the bye. He was awesome in the second half of the Colts game and the entire Jags game. He fumbled early against the Dolphins, but then had a solid game the rest of the way. And in the playoffs, the defense literally gave up a TD on every drive Josh Allen had. It was the defense that lost that game. It got out of hand early and they asked Mac to be a gunslinger which wasn't his game.

And in 2000 you forgot that the Pats had no cap space AND no talent. They had nothing to show from recent drafts. And most of the best players were old and breaking down (see Edelman).

 

[Rob0729]

It was more clear than I ever thought we'd hear from an insider about how ridiculous that '22 season was. Bill had really lost his mind. Mac said enough even in a veiled respectful manner, but Bill had totally turned into Custer's last stand. Burying himself with a few trusted guys and making some of the worst personnel decisions for his own ego - despite ruining the team. Kraft really should have fired Bill after '22. The way he sabotaged the offense, the QB's, ownership (in tanking Mac on purpose). It was awful.

The only reason Belichick wasn't fired after 22 is because he was Belichick. Any other head coach in the league even coaches like Andy Reid would have been fired after that. In fact, Reid was fired from the Eagles for similar reasons. Belichick cashed in his Super Bowl get out jail free card in 2022. So when 2023 was worse in a lot of ways (why he kept on starting and benching Jones game after game that season is beyond me), he had to be fired. There was no way around it.

 

[Wozzy]

I never said that Belichick didn't want Mac. I said he would have preferred to wait until the second round to draft a QB. If he didn't want to draft Mac, they wouldn't have have drafted him. Again, he maintained final say in all personnel decisions.

Bob said it was a collaboration from 2021 forward.

Joe Flacco won with a historically good defense. Wasn't the 2000 Ravens, but it was up there.

Just about every SB defense is among league best. Lamar had that defense in 2023, best in every statistical category, superior OLine, very good weapons… he still folded like a beach chair in the playoffs.

And there was no way in 2018 to know that Brady would play to 45. Even if Brady knew he could, nobody else could have predicted it for sure. Belichick was preparing to move on when he drafted Garoppolo several years earlier.

Nothing justifies taking a QB who isn’t a scheme fit like Lamar.

I don't think Belichick puts as much stock in "freak athletic" QB as you think. He drafted primarily pocket passers and rarely looked for the guys who could scramble outside the pocket.

The best predraft player comparison for Drake was calling him a much less experienced Andrew Luck… who is every bit the pocket passer.

If Drake wants to win rings he’ll become a pocket passer also. Drake fit Bill’s draft notes for the exact prototype he looked for. It’s not coincidence that only BB haters here suggest he wouldn’t have taken Drake.

 

[sb1]

And if you remember Brady was saying during that 8-1 stretch that the offense wasn't as good as people thought it was and he had real concerns about how good they were.

The reason why the offense was performing was because of the defense. The Patriots during the first eight games of the season that year gave up 7.6 points per game. And on top of that, the defense and special teams were scoring points. In the 43-0 game against the Dolphins, the defense scored 14 point. In the 16-10 game against the Bills, Slater returned a blocked punt for a TD. In the 35-14 game vs. the Giants, the Pats had a blocked kicked for a TD and a fumble recovery for a TD by Van Noy. In the 33-0 game vs. the Jets there was a safety. In the 27-13 game vs. the Browns, Hightower had a fumble recovery for a TD.

I remember 2019 very well. Brady knew even when they were winning that the talent wasn't there.

They also had a very easy schedule until the Ravens game where they got trucked.

 

[p8ryts]

The Bears players said all they had to do with Zappe is not rush and hold the line and throw up their hands and it confused Zappe.

He wasn't terrible after the bye. He was awesome in the second half of the Colts game and the entire Jags game. He fumbled early against the Dolphins, but then had a solid game the rest of the way. And in the playoffs, the defense literally gave up a TD on every drive Josh Allen had. It was the defense that lost that game. It got out of hand early and they asked Mac to be a gunslinger which wasn't his game.

And in 2000 you forgot that the Pats had no cap space AND no talent. They had nothing to show from recent drafts. And most of the best players were old and breaking down (see Edelman).

And yet, they still were in contention for the playoffs except their old quarterback fumbled at the goal line and couldn't hit a check down.

 

[Wozzy]

The Bears players said all they had to do with Zappe is not rush and hold the line and throw up their hands and it confused Zappe.

Zappe didn’t prepare as the starter that week. He didn’t start the game. Mac did… and he got benched for sucking.

He wasn't terrible after the bye. He was awesome in the second half of the Colts game and the entire Jags game. He fumbled early against the Dolphins, but then had a solid game the rest of the way. And in the playoffs, the defense literally gave up a TD on every drive Josh Allen had. It was the defense that lost that game. It got out of hand early and they asked Mac to be a gunslinger which wasn't his game.

I already posted Mac’s stats after the bye week. He sucked. The Jaguars had the worst record and dead last defense in the entire NFL that season. One start against a terrible team doesn’t erase the entire final quarter of the season. Mac stunk, then stunk ever after.

And in 2000 you forgot that the Pats had no cap space AND no talent. They had nothing to show from recent drafts. And most of the best players were old and breaking down (see Edelman).

I agree, Bill lost a lot of brains after the second dynasty. A lot of personnel guys and coaches. He needed to restock the shelves there as much as he needed players.

But those dynasty teams also were some of the oldest teams by choice. They preferred vets who knew how to win. It doesn’t change that their terrible cap situation was the result of going all in to play in 4 Super Bowls.

 

[Joey007]

Exactly.
Jones proved mentally weak and didn’t have the physical tools to overcome.
But at the same time, the state of the offensive coaching was a comedy of errors.

I’ve definitely come around on the situation.

Mac was bad, but he was greatly failed here. He definitely can become a good starting QB (similar to a Bo Nix) with a good support system. He showed as much his rookie season.

 

[Rob0729]

Bob said it was a collaboration from 2021 forward.

Just about every SB defense is among league best. Lamar had that defense in 2023, best in every statistical category, superior OLine, very good weapons… he still folded like a beach chair in the playoffs.

Nothing justifies taking a QB who isn’t a scheme fit like Lamar.

The best predraft player comparison for Drake was calling him a much less experienced Andrew Luck… who is every bit the pocket passer.

If Drake wants to win rings he’ll become a pocket passer also. Drake fit Bill’s draft notes for the exact prototype he looked for. It’s not coincidence that only BB haters here suggest he wouldn’t have taken Drake.

Bob also said that Belichick always had final say on all personnel decisions. Why do you constantly ignore that part? If Belichick didn't want Mac Jones, Mac Jones would not have been drafted by the Patriots. That is a fact.

Ignore the Jaguars game because it doesn't fit your narrative. Ok.

I never heard Andrew Luck comparisons with Maye. I heard Justin Herbert (that was the most used comp by far), Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and even DeShaun Watson. Never Andrew Luck. All guys who are far more mobile than a traditional pocket passer.

And Drake can win a ring as a player who scrambles out of the pocket. Mahomes has multiple rings and he is not a pocket passer. I will say if Maye wants to play into his 40s, he will have to become more of a pocket passer. But he can certainly win a Super Bowl or multiple Super Bowls while he is young and still at peak athletic form as a guy who can scramble out of the pocket.

And I am not a Belichick hater. You Belichick cult members think anyone critical of Belichick is a hater. And the only way to interact with you is either talk about Belichick as if he was a god among man who never made a mistake or take a more of a critical Belichick stand. The funny thing is Brady cult members think I am a Brady hater and Belichick cult member because I think Belichick is more responsible for the first part of the Dynasty than Brady. I never hated Belichick, but I did hate how he ran the team the last few years he was here.

You believe Belichick would absolutely have drafted Maye because you know it was the right choice and you believe the only time he makes the wrong choice is when he is forced to it by Kraft.

Did you watch the video? Belichick gave three positions that the Pats absolutely needed and QB was only one of them. Maybe Belichick would have thought trading down and filling two of those three needs in the first round was the better thing to do.

 

[sb1]

Drake was raw when he was drafted. Highly likely Bill especially in the twilight of his coaching career wanted a more established or pro-ready QB not a raw high upside guy. It isn’t his MO and odds are low anyway that he would be around to see the finished product. If he wanted to work with a raw QB he would have traded up for Justin Fields or Trey Lance instead of draft Mac Jones.

Much more likely than not that he would not have drafted Maye.

 

[Wozzy]

Bob also said that Belichick always had final say on all personnel decisions. Why do you constantly ignore that part? If Belichick didn't want Mac Jones, Mac Jones would not have been drafted by the Patriots. That is a fact.

Because Bob didn’t say that until BB was long gone and the whole thing crashed and burned. Bob was angling for the HOF.

Bob said personnel was changing in 2021, BB said it changed his last few years here.

Why do you ignore that?

Ignore the Jaguars game because it doesn't fit your narrative. Ok.

No, look at his entire body of work from week 13 on. Below 60% passing, averaged two turnovers a game, barely threw 6 yards per pass… Mac sucked.

I never heard Andrew Luck comparisons with Maye. I heard Justin Herbert (that was the most used comp by far), Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and even DeShaun Watson. Never Andrew Luck. All guys who are far more mobile than a traditional pocket passer.

Andrew Luck was very fast and a good runner for a guy his size, he just relied on his arm and his brain.

And Drake can win a ring as a player who scrambles out of the pocket. Mahomes has multiple rings and he is not a pocket passer. I will say if Maye wants to play into his 40s, he will have to become more of a pocket passer. But he can certainly win a Super Bowl or multiple Super Bowls while he is young and still at peak athletic form as a guy who can scramble out of the pocket.

Mahomes is a great pocket passer.

And I am not a Belichick hater. You Belichick cult members think anyone critical of Belichick is a hater. And the only way to interact with you is either talk about Belichick as if he was a god among man who never made a mistake or take a more of a critical Belichick stand. The funny thing is Brady cult members think I am a Brady hater and Belichick cult member because I think Belichick is more responsible for the first part of the Dynasty than Brady. I never hated Belichick, but I did hate how he ran the team the last few years he was here.

The same handful of people appear on these pages saying absurd things like “BB wouldn’t have taken Drake,” or “BB turned down a 1st for JimmyG,” or “Mac is actually good” or “BB hurt Tom’s feelings.”

You’re one of them… and you’re not haters… you just take absurd positions that make Bill look like a total moron who backed into the most playoff success in history.

You believe Belichick would absolutely have drafted Maye because you know it was the right choice and you believe the only time he makes the wrong choice is when he is forced to it by Kraft.

No, I said nobody knows.

Only haters are convinced he wouldn’t and speak like he didn’t.

Did you watch the video? Belichick gave three positions that the Pats absolutely needed and QB was only one of them. Maybe Belichick would have thought trading down and filling two of those three needs in the first round was the better thing to do.

Bill said “QB was their biggest need.” That’s not opaque.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Drake was raw when he was drafted. Highly likely Bill especially in the twilight of his coaching career wanted a more established or pro-ready QB not a raw high upside guy. It isn’t his MO and odds are low anyway that he would be around to see the finished product. If he wanted to work with a raw QB he would have traded up for Justin Fields or Trey Lance instead of draft Mac Jones.

Much more likely than not that he would not have drafted Maye.

Right - if BB were coaching the Pats in 2024 it would have been a "win now" situation as he really wasn't too interested in rebuilding (he tried that and pretty much failed after Brady left - in part because BB mismanaged the cap.

He probably would have wanted a veteran QB like Cam Newton or someone else rather than a rookie who needed time.

He pretty much made clear he wouldn't have taken Drake at #3 noting how raw he was, how he moved around too much, was all around the place, gets stripped sack, never gets in position to throw.

The thing is, while Drake did indeed need to work on some things, Belichick's review wasn't close to the QB we have actually seen. He's much better than BB gave him credit for.

Bill Belichick gives middling review of new Patriots QB Drake Maye

Bill Belichick made an appearance on ESPN's Pat McAfee Show to break down the NFL Draft and had a notable take on his former team's third-overall pick in Drake Maye.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Vindicate]

Josh McDaniels was a defensive coach for years before he was the quarterbacks coach. That worked out great. Huge success.

Patricia also had experience as OL assistant his first year with the Pats. All defense after that. He played center and guard at RPI.

Not exactly a glowing resume of offensive coaching, but he did spend a year learning from the best OL coach at least haha.

I would've liked to see Bill as an offensive play caller. I wonder what that would've looked like.

 

[Vindicate]

Two starts, two wins, two 100+ QB Ratings.

Mac started the Bears game and stunk the joint up, Zappe didn’t enter the rainy day game until later. This is presumably when Mac went up the backstairs to complain to Bob about Bill because Belichick was probably going to ride the hot hand.

He was terrible after the bye.
After the bye week Mac completed 59% of his passes at 6 yards per clip and turned the ball over 8 times in five games.

One game against Jacksonville, the worst team in the entire NFL in 2021, doesn't make him good during that period.

Mac Jones also turned the ball over twice against Miami, that wasn't good regardless of rating.

He got destroyed in the playoffs and oh yeah, sucked for the next two years.

Who we saw after week 13 as a rookie is who we saw for the next two seasons.

Brady left because entering 2020 the Patriots had the third most dead cap in the league and no cap space. They had roughly 12 starters or major contributors to replace or sign. They were flat broke… in NFL terms.

Mac is a classic stop-gap QB, maybe for a few games, in the NFL. Once the tape is fresh, they fall apart. I feel like QB's like him tend to have a decent first half season, maybe even full (if they're asked to be a starter), but get figured TF out and cannot grow.

Lots of backup QB's are like this. If they don't play often and get brought in once every few years, they'll be able to win a game. But once that tape is up-to-date, they're toast.

The biggest knock on Mac is he's just... Weak? Bad arm, no zip, no finesse, needs things to be right for him. Cannot throw into normal coverage windows that are as open as you'll get in the NFL on an average basis.

 

[1960Pats]

And if you remember Brady was saying during that 8-1 stretch that the offense wasn't as good as people thought it was and he had real concerns about how good they were.

The reason why the offense was performing was because of the defense. The Patriots during the first eight games of the season that year gave up 7.6 points per game. And on top of that, the defense and special teams were scoring points. In the 43-0 game against the Dolphins, the defense scored 14 point. In the 16-10 game against the Bills, Slater returned a blocked punt for a TD. In the 35-14 game vs. the Giants, the Pats had a blocked kicked for a TD and a fumble recovery for a TD by Van Noy. In the 33-0 game vs. the Jets there was a safety. In the 27-13 game vs. the Browns, Hightower had a fumble recovery for a TD.

I remember 2019 very well. Brady knew even when they were winning that the talent wasn't there.

I remember Brady being unhappy in 2019.

In spite of that they were within a bad call vs KC from the top seed.

 

[Rob0729]

Because Bob didn’t say that until BB was long gone and the whole thing crashed and burned. Bob was angling for the HOF.

Bob said personnel was changing in 2021, BB said it changed his last few years here.

Why do you ignore that?

No, look at his entire body of work from week 13 on. Below 60% passing, averaged two turnovers a game, barely threw 6 yards per pass… Mac sucked.

Andrew Luck was very fast and a good runner for a guy his size, he just relied on his arm and his brain.

Mahomes is a great pocket passer.

The same handful of people appear on these pages saying absurd things like “BB wouldn’t have taken Drake,” or “BB turned down a 1st for JimmyG,” or “Mac is actually good” or “BB hurt Tom’s feelings.”

You’re one of them… and you’re not haters… you just take absurd positions that make Bill look like a total moron who backed into the most playoff success in history.

No, I said nobody knows.

Only haters are convinced he wouldn’t and speak like he didn’t.

Bill said “QB was their biggest need.” That’s not opaque.

Bob has been consistent since the fiasco with Bill Parcells that he would never take away personnel control from Belichick or whoever was given final personnel authority (since it was Pete Carroll or Jerod Mayo). Bob said they were going to change how they were doing the draft. He never went into detail and never said that Belichick lost final say on picks. In fact, YOU posted articles from reports that said that Belichick could have overruled the Mac Jones pick but decided not to because he wanted to be a team player.

As Mac down the stretch his rookie season, nothing you are saying contradict what I said that he was inconsistent. He was great sometimes and horrible others. But the fact is the defense fell apart down the stretch and they asked Mac to do a lot more than he was ready for in that time.

I have not seen one comp predraft showing Maye compared to Andrew Luck.

Mahomes is a great pocket passer and so was Maye last year. But what makes Mahomes special is his ability to run out of the pocket and make off platform throws. He is not a pocket passer. He can stay in the pocket and make great throws. There is a difference.

I said there is plenty of evidence that Belichick would have traded down and not taken Maye. There is. None of us know what Belichick would have actually done. I tend to think he would have taken the picks and traded down, but I have always said it is my opinion. It is your OPINION that he would have taken Drake. I agree we will never know who is right. I never said otherwise.

I never said that Belichick turned down a 1st for Jimmy G. I do know all the reports at the time were that he would have turned it down. We have no idea if he was ever offered a 1st for Jimmy G.

I have said in the right conditions, Mac is a good QB. He showed it last year that it is true. But he was in the most perfect conditions in San Fran last year or about as close as he can get. He isn't a QB who can elevate players around him. He is a QB who can perform in a good system, with good coaching, and good talent around him.

I have never said Belichick hurt Tom's feelings. I don't know where that came from.

And watch the video again. Belichick said QB is "one of their top needs" along with WR and tackle. He didn't say it was their biggest need. He said it was one of the Pats' top three needs.

 

[Thunderhead]

Yep. Bill probably would have traded down for a nice set of picks and loaded up elsewhere while trying to get by with a veteran, probably Garoppolo or someone.

No slight against Bill, but going for the QB at #3 overall (especially when he's the third QB off the board) just doesn't seem like something that is in his DNA. And he's probably right most of the time on that, but fortunately for us, Maye is currently looking to be the best in his class and likely already a top ~10 QB in the league with a lot of room yet to grow, so it certainly worked out.

Suffering through the Mayo year was a tough pill to swallow, but ultimately it paid dividends with Mayo being so clearly awful that he only got 1 year and made way for a premier coach in Vrabel, and Maye is resilient enough that the Mayo **** show did not set him back like it would a Mac Jones type.

So true. Pats did damn near everything they could have to "ruin" Maye in his rookie year. Makes his sophomore season even more impressive.