FOXBORO -- Jerod Mayo wants people to know that there's still a quarterback competition underway in New England.
"We still don't know right now," Mayo said Monday when asked who his starter will be. "We have another preseason game, and then a week after that. When I know, I'll let you know."
But the way in which the quarterback position has been handled, it seems as though Brissett still has a good handle on the starting gig.
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Drake Maye saw some half-speed reps on Saturday with David Andrews at center -- his first snaps with the unquestioned starter in the middle of the Patriots offensive line -- but since then he hasn't seen any plays with the first-team line.
That would be as strong an on-field indication as any that the Patriots were considering Maye to start Week 1, but it hasn't happened to this point.
That said, Maye has seen an improved line in front of him at times over the last two practices. While the top line -- Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle, Mike Onwenu at right guard, Andrews, Sidy Sow at left guard and Vederian Lowe at left tackle -- continues to get the early work with Brissett, they've been broken up at times to give Maye a couple of starters in his huddle.
On Monday, for example, during a hurry-up period, Maye worked behind a line that included Okorafor at right tackle and Sow at left guard. (During Brissett's hurry-up period, he had Caedan Wallace at right tackle and Layden Robinson at left guard.)
Despite taking a sack from blitzing safety Dell Pettus in his hurry-up work, having a couple of veterans blocking for him would represent an upgrade for Maye over what has occurred for the vast majority of camp.
Maye's line in two of the three 11-on-11 periods of practice Monday included Wallace at right tackle, Michael Jordan at right guard, Liam Fornadel at center, Robinson at left guard and Kellen Diesch at left tackle. Those are the backups, meaning apparently so is Maye.
For the last week or so, though, Maye has looked like the more decisive and accurate passer. Mayo said Monday that Maye is "absolutely getting better." He's seen a more comfortable quarterback, and that shows up in how Maye is managing his responsibilities at the position.
"Going through your progressions," Mayo said when asked how Maye's confidence manifests itself on the field, "building trust in the guys up front, going through your progressions and making the right throw."
Regardless of which linemen were in front of him, Maye didn't get many opportunities to throw on Monday. Still, here's the latest edition of The Drake Maye Report, from Day 17 of Patriots camp practice.
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The rep report
In competitive situations, Brissett received nine competitive reps in 11-on-11 work and three in a 7-on-7 period. Maye, meanwhile, got 10 competitive 11-on-11 reps and three in the 7-on-7 period.
(Maye got an additional rep in his two-minute hurry-up period as the second-team offense tried to work the ball into field-goal range. Thanks to a deep shot to Tyquan Thornton, Brissett's group needed just three plays to get into Joey Slye's range in that hurry-up period.)
Crunching the numbers
Not many big numbers to crunch here...
Brissett went 3-for-3 in his 11-on-11 periods, including the bomb to Thornton, which was the play of the day. He also absorbed a sack from Davon Godchaux in 11-on-11 work. Brissett went 2-for-3 in 7-on-7 work, making him 5-for-6 overall in competitive periods.
Maye went 3-for-6 with two sacks in his 11-on-11 periods. The sacks came quickly, courtesy of Mike Purcell and Dell Pettus. Maye had an incompletion on a Hail Mary type of attempt at the end of the two-minute period. He went 3-for-3 in 7-on-7 work, making him 6-for-9 overall in competitive periods.
Play of the day
Perhaps Maye's best throw of the day was one of his shortest. With 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive lineman Trysten Hill in his face, Maye rolled to his right and found Antonio Gibson for what resulted in a chunk gain.
It was a bit reminiscent of the short jump pass Maye made against the Eagles in their preseason exhibition last week. In both cases, the distance of the throw wasn't remarkable, but his ability to throw accurately when on the move was.
Why he's ready
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we'll highlight the portions of the rookie's performance that suggest he's prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
Given the nature of Monday's practice -- when there weren't many competitive reps to analyze -- what may have been the best indication that Maye is approaching readiness were the comments from his head coach. Asked if he's noticed a difference in Maye since the Eagles preseason game, Mayo acknowledged he's seen improvement.
"I think it's attributed to his hard work, his dedication to his craft," Mayo said. "This guy comes in early, leaves late. Every day, he's one of those type of guys, and he's done a great job. I would also say the coaches have done a good job meeting with him one-on-one, making sure that he's comfortable with his team play."
Why patience is a virtue
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we'll highlight the portions of the rookie's performance that suggest he's not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
Maye had two passes fall incomplete Monday due to what looked like moments of faulty communication between him and his receivers. Jalen Reagor continued up the field when Maye tried for a back-shoulder throw near the sideline at one point, and a target seemingly intended for La'Michael Pettway landed nowhere near the tight end.
It happened only twice, but learning his teammates and seeing things the way they see them could be a point of emphasis for Maye after Day 17. (Of course, there's a chance he saw things correctly in those moments and his targets didn't.)