Mike Felger and Tom E. Curran offer instant reaction to Drake Maye’s performance in the Patriots’ preseason Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"If he’s better than Jacoby (Brissett) then he’ll play. He’ll start.”
That quote from New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo came after Thursday night's 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Mayo doubled down on his willingness to start rookie quarterback Drake Maye over Jacoby Brissett if the third overall draft pick outperforms the veteran.
Maye undoubtedly outplayed his counterpart on Thursday. The North Carolina product played the second and third quarters, completing six of his 11 passes for 47 yards while adding a rushing touchdown for his first NFL TD. A pair of incompletions came on deep passes that probably should have been caught, including a beautiful downfield throw to fellow rookie Javon Baker.
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Brissett got the start and struggled, going 3 for 7 for 17 yards with a brutal interception on a pass intended for tight end Austin Hooper in the end zone.
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With only one preseason game left on the schedule, Maye's performance may have given Mayo something to think about ahead of the regular-season opener. Is it time to consider handing Maye the keys to the offense?
98.5 The Sports Hub's Mike Felger and NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran shared their reactions to Thursday's game on Boston Sports Tonight.
"I'm sort of gauging by what our listeners are gonna say and what our callers are gonna say," Felger said. "Hey, listen, we're a talk show and we're men of the people, so the people are gonna say, 'Why isn't the kid playing more? Why is he so far behind Jacoby Brissett? Why am I gonna have to watch Jacoby Brissett bounce around in the pocket and throw end zone interceptions that'll make your eyes bleed when the kid looked just fine?
"Now, look, I'm not saying that because I'm all about patience with young quarterbacks. I don't need the kid to play early, but I'm just telling you that if you were just watching in a bar, if you were just watching from 10 feet and not dialed in, you saw that interception and then you saw Drake Maye come in, complete a third-and-5 and then you saw him throw a couple of deep balls that weren't completed or should have been, they were good balls. ... I guarantee you people are going to start turning up the pressure and saying, 'I'm sorry, why isn't he playing?'"
Curran agrees that fans will rightfully question the decision to go with Brissett over Maye.
🔊 Patriots Talk: The Aftermath: Is it time for the Patriots to fast-track Drake Maye's development? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"They probably should," he said in response to Felger. "It's gonna come back to the development. It's also gonna go back to the 10-and-2 safety of the entire offense while in the hands of Jacoby Brissett. And it's going to be difficult to convince people of that because they're never gonna get an apples-to-apples look at it. You're watching the Eagles' twos against Brissett, generally speaking, and certainly against Drake Maye."
Although Felger isn't convinced Maye can fix what has looked like a dysfunctional Patriots offense, he came away encouraged by his performance.
"I came into the game and said what we need desperately is just a couple of glimpses from Drake Maye that lead us to believe, 'OK, there's something there. There's something worth waiting for if we're gonna wait for it, and there's hope. Just give us something.' And I think he gave us that," Felger said.
The Patriots have a 1-1 preseason record heading into their finale vs. the Washington Commanders. Kickoff for that matchup is set for Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. ET.
Watch the full Boston Sports Tonight segment with Felger and Curran below or on YouTube:
