A lot more attention will be paid to the New England Patriots this Sunday than in weeks past.
That's because highly-touted rookie quarterback Drake Maye will make his first NFL start after backing up veteran Jacoby Brissett in Weeks 1 through 5.
Maye faces a tall task in Week 6 leading one of the league's worst offenses against a Houston Texans defense that boasts the NFL's highest QB pressure rate. But is the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft talented enough to turn things around in New England after the team's 1-4 start?
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Boston College head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien knows plenty about developing a talented rookie from his days working with Deshaun Watson as the Texans head coach from 2014 to 2020. O'Brien joined Patriots Pregame Live on Sunday to share his assessment of Maye and expectations for the 22-year-old.
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"I don't know if I would label it a dice roll, but I do think that expectations have to be lowered a little bit," O'Brien said of Maye. "I'm familiar with Drake. He's a really, really good player. I was at Alabama (as the OC in 2021 and 2022) right after they recruited him. ... They thought very highly of him. Excellent football player. Really good athlete, very smart, very instinctive, got a good arm, he's accurate."
As O'Brien pointed out, however, there's a vast difference between the college game and the pros. And even though Maye saw a brief taste of NFL action in a Week 3 blowout loss to the New York Jets, O'Brien believes there will be growing pains for the rookie.
"It's a different game. ... It's much faster, the schemes are different," O'Brien said. "Sometimes as a rookie, you can feel like you're almost playing in a phone booth because some of the teams you're playing are so good on defense. So, obviously you've got to give him time."
O'Brien thinks Maye has the tools to be a successful quarterback, but he's also preaching patience for fans in New England who want to see Maye succeed right away.
"I do have a belief in Drake," O'Brien said. "From my knowledge of him, I think this guy's going to be really good. But it's not gonna happen overnight."
Check out more from O'Brien on how the Patriots should model their offense around Maye, his thoughts on Jerod Mayo and more in the full interview below.