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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2024, 10:32 AM ET
- Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said rookie Drake Maye has closed the gap on veteran Jacoby Brissett, but the decision on a starting quarterback goes beyond that.
“This is a true competition, and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby,” Mayo said Monday in his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp. And we’ll see where we end up. But those are the conversations that will happen here over the next couple of days.”
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Mayo elaborated in a video conference with reporters later Monday morning.
“It starts in practice and also in the game, where Drake has played better,” Mayo said. “In saying that, everyone wants to know who the starter is going to be. There are multiple factors that have to go into this decision. One is the total body of work, whether we’re talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. And I would also say, oftentimes we forget about the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision we have to make in the near future.
“I’m happy with the way those guys are battling it out. Hopefully over the next couple days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling.”
Mayo had previously said he would decide on a starting quarterback by Tuesday, following the Patriots’ preseason finale. On Monday, he told WEEI that he planned to tell the team who the starter would be before making any public announcement but didn’t put a timeline on it.
The coach also noted that the “gap has definitely shrunk here over the last few weeks” between Brissett and Maye.
The Patriots, who open the regular season Sept. 8 at the Cincinnati Bengals, arrived at their facility at 4 a.m. ET following Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Commanders in the preseason finale in Washington. Mayo acknowledged that the right shoulder injury sustained by Brissett on the opening series, which he said Sunday night that the quarterback could have played through, is among the factors to be discussed.
“Jacoby may come in here today and say his shoulder is no good. So I’m not going to get too far down the road on if Jacoby could play or couldn’t play,” Mayo said on WEEI.
Brissett, 31, in his ninth NFL season, started 11 games with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 while running a similar offense to what the Patriots have implemented under coordinator Alex Van Pelt, a former Browns assistant.
Brissett started all three of the Patriots’ preseason games, playing 27 total snaps and finishing 5-of-14 for 36 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. His pass catchers haven’t always helped his cause, with Van Pelt noting a route-running error that preceded his interception and K.J. Osborn dropping a pinpoint deep ball Sunday night.
Maye has followed Brissett in all three games, playing 66 snaps and going 21-of-34 for 192 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions. He has added seven rushes for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Mayo didn’t identify one specific point in which Maye began to outplay Brissett.
“It’s Drake becoming more comfortable with the scheme and more comfortable with the players around him,” Mayo said, before adding: “I don’t know how the story ends with Drake’s rookie season, but all possibilities are open.”
