Schefter: Drake Maye to start vs Houston [Also reported by Rapoport, Reiss, Kyed and others]

[moosekill]

They have no left tackle, no right tackle, no center, and a rookie QB has to make the O Line calls. That’s ****ing stupid. I support this regime, but this is a terrible decision, made solely to placate crybaby fans who “ want to be entertained.”

jesus man calm the **** down

 

[mikey m]

The line isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. JB pocket awareness sucks, he doesn't have down field vision at all, he isn't setting protections well and he's taking a long time to go through reads. I think Maye will make the line look better.

To the people that don't agree, average pressure to QB is only a few tenths of a second faster than KC who has one of the top rated lines in the league

A few tenths of a second is a significant amount of time when it comes to an nfl pass rush.
JB is averaging 139 yards per game. As a starter for the Browns in 2022 he averaged 237. The only clearly superior pass catcher they had compared to our group was Amari Cooper and I bet if you put Cooper on our current team the offensive woes would continue. Not because Brissett is awful, but because he is awful when behind a horrible line.

We’ll see if Drake’s physical ability will allow him to be successful in spite of the OL. AVP better get a lot more creative than he has been. Whatever Drake’s flaws are, he can physically do whatever you could possibly ask him to (we’ll see with what consistency). Throw on the run, throw deep, throw to the sidelines, thread the needle through the middle, threat to run the ball, whatever. The limitations will be the AVP’s imagination and the OL. The former needs to get creative to cover up the weaknesses of the latter.

 

[mgteich]

This is a lot of talking...

The Pats have allowed the second most sacks in the NFL despite the 22nd fewest pass attempts. This gives them the 30th worst sack percentage in the NFL.

They also couldn't run the ball against the Jets and 49ers, the only two good run defenses they faced... so they can't run block particularly well either.

In short... the line sucks really bad.

You're trying to shine a turd into a diamond, or pee on my head and tell me it's raining... not sure which.

The OT's are awful, so we indeed have a terrible OL, one of the very worst in the NFL. And our QB has been one of the worst in the NFL.

It does not follow that we are the worst team ever or the worst Offense ever, and that all our players on Offense suck. It just doesn't follow.

To be blunt, if we had an average QB and three better than average NFL OT's (2 starters and a backup/jumbo OT), this OL would NOT be one of the worst, and our Offense would not be one of the worst.

TO BE CLEAR
We have one of the worst Offenses, and probably will still have one of the worst with Maye. Having ZERO NFL quality NFL starters at OT is just that serious. That being said, I do believe that these starters will compete to be on the team as backups next year to a top free agent and a top draftee.

 

[mikey m]

Yeah, he lost Josh Downs and several OLinemen. He needs the supporting cast to succeed. He doesn’t have it right now in New England.

He had a slight statistical dip but to say he wasn’t successful is asinine.

 

[Santi]

Let’s see what this guy has, lots of people laughed when I said Fields was a better option than Brissett. Maybe the draft gamble on the third best QB will pay off, dude is gonna get absolutely battered though.

 

[captain stone]

Unless Jacoby threw for 300 yards and was winning a couple more games I think when they thought Maye was ready they were going to put him in no matter who we're playing. They know a lot more than we do just by watching him in practice and meetings.

I wouldn’t bet my life on that last part…

 

[PatsFanSince74]

IF Maye is half as good as Stroud in his Rookie season Mayo and Wolf already won.

Two things:

I've never framed the question as being about Maye's abilities, just about the timing and circumstances of this decision. I think reasonable people can disagree about the latter.

What's going to happen in Maye's Rookie season and the impact of whatever happens beyond that are both unknowable. As I said in my post: "...I have to hope that I am wrong and others are right."

 

[captain stone]

Crawl into the ambulance; your pulse is getting weak…
Reveal your secret to me now, while you have the strength to speak,
Because they’re waiting for you at Bellevue, and with their oxygen masks…

- B. Springsteen

 

[Pats2000]

A few tenths of a second is a significant amount of time when it comes to an nfl pass rush.
JB is averaging 139 yards per game. As a starter for the Browns in 2022 he averaged 237. The only clearly superior pass catcher they had compared to our group was Amari Cooper and I bet if you put Cooper on our current team the offensive woes would continue. Not because Brissett is awful, but because he is awful when behind a horrible line.

We’ll see if Drake’s physical ability will allow him to be successful in spite of the OL. AVP better get a lot more creative than he has been. Whatever Drake’s flaws are, he can physically do whatever you could possibly ask him to (we’ll see with what consistency). Throw on the run, throw deep, throw to the sidelines, thread the needle through the middle, threat to run the ball, whatever. The limitations will be the AVP’s imagination and the OL. The former needs to get creative to cover up the weaknesses of the latter.

That few tenths of a second could simply be Mahommes pocket presence or his ability to adjust for pressure. It's not necessarily the line that's the difference.

We have WR open consistently, JB can't find them. He can't adjust the line, he continually missed the blitz, I don't think he has great pocket presence and he can't throw deep to save his life. I think he's playing super hurt because of how much he's been hit.

 

[sb1]

This is a lot of talking...

The Pats have allowed the second most sacks in the NFL despite the 22nd fewest pass attempts. This gives them the 30th worst sack percentage in the NFL.

They also couldn't run the ball against the Jets and 49ers, the only two good run defenses they faced... so they can't run block particularly well either.

That only applies to the 49ers game. The Jets don't have a good run defense and the Pats had 5 YPC against the Jets on only 15 carries. "Didn't run the ball" isn't the same thing as "couldn't".

In short... the line sucks really bad.

It sucked last year too but Mac Jones is like the worst person ever or something.

 

[jdlboot14]

The OL wasn't the reason for the loss on Sun. We absolutely should have won that game - and not just because of the Polk no-TD call.
There was a lot of chances, a lot of plays left out there - with open guys.
JB was not getting steamrolled back there because of OL. Every line has a breakdown a few times per game, but the sack numbers are high on JB because he is KNOWN for holding the ball too long, and not seeing (or anticipating) guys open. He has to wait to see that they've become open, and by then it's too late.
At least Maye has shown the ability to throw to tight windows, anticipate, and run for gains if he has to. That alone should give us 50% more in sustained drives, and points. Even if we lose to Texans, I bet we score at least 24 pts. (a season high).

 

[Wozzy]

The OT's are awful, so we indeed have a terrible OL, one of the very worst in the NFL. And our QB has been one of the worst in the NFL.

It does not follow that we are the worst team ever or the worst Offense ever, and that all our players on Offense suck. It just doesn't follow.

To be blunt, if we had an average QB and three better than average NFL OT's (2 starters and a backup/jumbo OT), this OL would NOT be one of the worst, and our Offense would not be one of the worst.

TO BE CLEAR
We have one of the worst Offenses, and probably will still have one of the worst with Maye. Having ZERO NFL quality NFL starters at OT is just that serious. That being said, I do believe that these starters will compete to be on the team as backups next year to a top free agent and a top draftee.

The interior linemen Wolf acquired were pretty bad as well.

Jacob’s could turn out pretty good, but he was a late waiver wire pickup… dumb luck.

They could simply execute better, block better, scheme better, Maye could be better… I could see some improvement to the point of us being entertained and getting some wins… which we don’t have now. The offense has been painful to watch.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The OL wasn't the reason for the loss on Sun. We absolutely should have won that game - and not just because of the Polk no-TD call.
There was a lot of chances, a lot of plays left out there - with open guys.
JB was not getting steamrolled back there because of OL. Every line has a breakdown a few times per game, but the sack numbers are high on JB because he is KNOWN for holding the ball too long, and not seeing (or anticipating) guys open. He has to wait to see that they've become open, and by then it's too late.
At least Maye has shown the ability to throw to tight windows, anticipate, and run for gains if he has to. That alone should give us 50% more in sustained drives, and points. Even if we lose to Texans, I bet we score at least 24 pts. (a season high).

We'll hopefully see the beginnings of greatness in Maye this week, but, as for the "24 pts.," the O/U is 37.5-38.0 for the Houston game with the Texans favored by around a TD, so, if you really believe what say, you should probably put some serious cash on the Over.

 

[Wozzy]

That only applies to the 49ers game. The Jets don't have a good run defense and the Pats had 5 YPC against the Jets on only 15 carries. "Didn't run the ball" isn't the same thing as "couldn't".

The Jets defensive rush yards per carry is tied for 6th lowest in the NFL. The only reason teams run on them is their pass defense is just as good if not better. They allow the 2nd fewest pass yards per game and opposing QB’s have the 4th lowest QB Rating in the NFL against them.

In short, they do everything well defensively. So you’re wrong, their defense slaughtered our horrid offensive line… in case the 7 sacks and 139 total yards wasn’t an indicator.

It sucked last year too but Mac Jones is like the worst person ever or something.

Mac Jones has 8 pass attempts in 2024 and still managed to turn the ball over.

So yeah, he still sucks despite your opinion he was only bad because of Bill.

 

[turkeyneck]

The interior linemen Wolf acquired were pretty bad as well.

Jacob’s could turn out pretty good, but he was a late waiver wire pickup… dumb luck.

They could simply execute better, block better, scheme better, Maye could be better… I could see some improvement to the point of us being entertained and getting some wins… which we don’t have now. The offense has been painful to watch.

OL candidates should be evaluated on the criteria

Strong - agile - big - fat

in that order of importance.

Wolf seems to go in the reverse order , much favoring unathletic, fat stiffs.

 

[sb1]

The Jets defensive rush yards per carry is tied for 6th lowest in the NFL. The only reason teams run on them is their pass defense is just as good if not better. They allow the 2nd fewest pass yards per game and opposing QB’s have the 4th lowest QB Rating in the NFL against them.

Where are you getting 6? They're 9th in YPA

I would think a good run defense ought to be better than 14th overall in yards allowed.

Still... 5 YPC says the opposite of "they can't run the ball against them"

In short, they do everything well defensively.

A lot of things but not everything.

So you’re wrong, their defense slaughtered our horrid offensive line… in case the 7 sacks and 139 total yards wasn’t an indicator.

Mac Jones has 8 pass attempts in 2024 and still managed to turn the ball over.

So yeah, he still sucks despite your opinion he was only bad because of Bill.

Love how 8 pass attempts in one backup appearance is supposed to be some kind of vindication for a now unemployed NFL HC who was 4-13 last year, .426 post Brady and botched the development of his first round draft choice QB.

 

[NFL Mystique]

Patriots have put themselves in a tough position.

Are they going to allow Maye to start each game this season. Even if, for example, he is throwing three picks per game? Barring injury, going back to Brissett would be disastrous for fans and the overall look of the organization.

What if he is getting sacked five times per game? They also can't just go back to Brissett can they?

If he gets injured, the organization is going to get blasted for putting him out behind that OL.

Long story short, is Maye the undisputed starter now and going forward sans injury?

 

[NFL Mystique]

Let’s see what this guy has, lots of people laughed when I said Fields was a better option than Brissett. Maybe the draft gamble on the third best QB will pay off, dude is gonna get absolutely battered though.

To be fair, I'm not so sure Daniels will be better than Maye in a few years. Everyone knew Daniels would be better coming out. 2026 and onwards is what matters most. If the Patriots do things right, there is no way they should be a bottom feeder in 2026.

 

[Wozzy]

OL candidates should be evaluated on the criteria

Strong - agile - big - fat

in that order of importance.

Wolf seems to go in the reverse order , much favoring unathletic, fat stiffs.

He likes stiffs with long arms when he should be looking for athletes with long arms.

 

[Wozzy]

Where are you getting 6? They're 9th in YPA

I would think a good run defense ought to be better than 14th overall in yards allowed.

Two teams average 3.7 YPA, 4 teams including the Jets are tied 4.2 YPA. Whether we do it my way or your way they are a top run defense.

Still... 5 YPC says the opposite of "they can't run the ball against them"

The Pats had 78 yards rushing, 139 total yards, one turnover, 3 points, 7 sacks allowed… they got slaughtered.

I can’t believe someone is here trying to polish this turd into a diamond… but then I remember it’s you and telling it like it isn’t is kind of your thing.

A lot of things but not everything.

The Jets D is 4th in points and 2nd in yards on a per drive basis. This despite carrying the 23rd worst scoring offense in the NFL.

You realize there are only 32 teams right?

Love how 8 pass attempts in one backup appearance is supposed to be some kind of vindication for a now unemployed NFL HC who was 4-13 last year, .426 post Brady and botched the development of his first round draft choice QB.

We watched 3 years of Mac sucking, being inconsistent and turning the ball over at a league leading pace. He was okay for 13 weeks with a very good offense around him in 2021 then he fell off a cliff. After teams figured him out he sucked with optimal conditions around him. You’re delusional.