Hoyer: Starting Brissett over Maye is ‘100 percent’ the right move originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Drake Maye is the most important player on the New England Patriots roster. His development is crucial to the short- and long-term success of the franchise.
But sometimes it’s best for a rookie quarterback to not start right away.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo announced Thursday that veteran Jacoby Brissett would be the Week 1 starter. It wasn’t a surprising choice, even though Maye played quite well in the preseason and in practice over the last few weeks. Brissett has 79 games of NFL experience, including 48 starts. He also has a good relationship with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt from their time together with the Cleveland Browns.
Many fans wanted Maye to start the regular season, though. And it’s understandable. Maye was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he made a lot of exciting plays in the preseason.
Did the Patriots make the right choice naming Brissett the starter?
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Brian Hoyer goes deep on Patriots QB decision to start Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
“One-hundred percent, I agree with it,” former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer said on the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk Podcast. “I saw what (Tom E. Curran) said the other day — nothing bad can happen with Drake Maye starting as the backup this year. Nothing bad in his development can really happen.
“He can sit there and watch Jacoby, who’s played a lot of football. He can learn from (Brissett), in-game operation. I know there’s been a few preseason games, but those aren’t real games. You know guys are only playing for a few series and then you’re rotating out. That first game is always long because no one has played a full four quarters. I think there’s a lot to be learned by sitting back there and watching.”
Hoyer also listed some star quarterbacks drafted early in the first round who didn’t start right away, learned by watching a veteran, and were better prepared when their opportunity arrived.
“The one point I wanted to make, and I think we’d all agree on who the best quarterback is in the NFL right now, and he didn’t start his first game until the last game of his rookie year,” Hoyer said of Patrick Mahomes. “A few other guys who were high draft picks, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, they weren’t Week 1 starters, either. Josh Allen took over for Nathan Peterman basically because Peterman had one of the worst games in quarterback history. Justin Herbert took over for Tyrod Taylor because of a punctured lung.
“I know (Maye) is going to be compared to the two QBs taken ahead of him (in the draft), but everybody knew those guys were going to start Day 1. I think the Patriots are taking the approach they originally planned and having Jacoby be the starter, letting Drake learn. Maye made progress. He had some great plays in the preseason, but does that justify being the Week 1 starter when you have a guy like Jacoby Brissett? I don’t think so.”
Another reason not to throw Maye into the fire early in the season is the state of the Patriots offensive line. This unit was a disaster at times during training camp and the preseason. The o-line was particularly bad in the preseason finale against the Commanders with 10 penalties called.
Phil Perry cited the offensive line uncertainty as a reason not to play Maye in Week 1.
“All the damage that could be done would only be exacerbated by what I would say is an uncertain situation on the offensive line, which would be putting it kindly,” Perry explained. “After David Andrews and Mike Onwenu, I don’t think anybody knows what they’re going to get out there in Week 1. So you throw a rookie behind that and now you’re not quite sure you’re going to get the protection you need. Maybe your eyes start to come down and you look at that pass rush.
“That’s what gave him issues earlier in camp when he was behind backups. That still, in my opinion, would be the case if he was out there really early this season. So you want to get that line settled, get him to learn what he needs to learn and see things at the speed they’re going to be at in the regular season, and then maybe later this year you feel better about getting him out there.”
Also in this episode:
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Did the Patriots make this decision more difficult than it needed to be?
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The harm of starting Drake Maye too early
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Has Maye’s development been overblown?
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Reasons why the Patriots will be better than last year