Drake Maye saw the least action of any first-round rookie quarterback in Week 1 of the preseason. Is Mac Jones indirectly to blame?
Maye played just one series in the New England Patriots' 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers last Thursday, in part because the team is determined to be deliberate in his development, and in part because the team's lack of depth on the offensive line could expose him to potential injury.
You could argue that's an overly cautious approach, and that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt could have designed plays that kept Maye out of harm's way. But as Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran noted Monday on Boston Sports Tonight, New England clearly has Jones' recent downfall on its mind when it comes to the No. 3 overall pick.
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"This is what happens when you destroy a first-round quarterback in the recent rearview mirror," Curran said, as seen in the video player above. "The wreckage is still smoldering."
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Jones went from first-round pick (No. 15 overall) and 2021 Rookie of the Year runner-up to virtually unplayable in just three seasons, a rapid decline exacerbated by multiple offensive coordinator changes and a patchwork offensive line that ultimately ruined his confidence and poise.
While Jones' former head coach, Bill Belichick, is no longer in the picture, Curran believes the Patriots are "100 million percent" still scarred by what happened to Jones and determined to avoid repeating history.
"The owner (Robert Kraft), (Jerod) Mayo, just about everybody who's in the realm of decision-maker (are scarred from the Jones experience)," Curran said.
"(Executive vice president of player personnel) Eliot Wolf saw what happened as a front-office person with Mac Jones and said, 'Well, let's not make that mistake again. I come from a place that does nothing but keep these things in little hothouses until they're completely ready to flower and bloom and then we bring them out. So, that's what we'll do with Drake.'"
Wolf spent several years in the front office of the Green Bay Packers, who sat QBs Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love for multiple seasons before handing them the starting jobs. So, it sounds like Wolf's experience combined with recent history in New England are leading to the Patriots playing it extra safe with their latest rookie QB.
"I think people are gonna have to wrap their heads around the fact that ... he had the lowest floor, but perhaps the highest ceiling (of the first-round QB prospects)," Curran said of Maye. "So, we're looking at him on the ground floor right now, and he's not ready for even Thursday night prime time."
The Patriots have a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday ahead of their preseason game Thursday at Gillette Stadium, so perhaps Maye will see more work this week.