Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss whether starting Drake Maye against the Texans in his first start will do more harm than good for the rookie. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on , , or
Video Transcript
So when you’re watching this game, what you’re checking out, want to just focus on Drake May or do you want to check out maybe the other side of all Texans Patriots defense, they, they’re, they’re doing him such a disservice by putting him into an NFL game, right?
You know, like your take, actually, I want, I want you to basically share your tweet because I agree with essentially all of it.
Like stop crying about this.
Like I, I really don’t understand because people, I, I understand why people are like, ok, you know, you’re gonna put him in against the Texans pass rush.
Ok. AAA and like, is that gonna be like the only tough pass rush that he, he sees all season this fear of starting rookie quarterbacks against like a tough opponent?
I don’t think it’s something that people who say it have even like examined it fully.
Like what they’re actually saying, have you not watched like how playing in poor environment has made Cale Williams a better quarterback every single week of the season, he’s not making the same, you know, 20 yard negative plays that he was in week one.
Like you’re mitigating those and that’s something that every quarterback has to learn how to do.
So the, the idea that you, you put him in against this game against the Texans, we know the offensive line is not good.
We know the Texans have good pass rush.
But so what, so what, like every, every team has somewhere, almost every team, especially against a team like the Patriots, almost every team has some facet of their defense that can take advantage of the Patriots offense.
And if we’re going to start from, oh, the Patriots have the worst off divide in the league.
Well, you know how long it takes to fix a bad offensive line?
It takes years.
So what you’re gonna sit him next year too?
No, stop being scared.
Understand what you’re actually saying.
What you, what you, I feel like what people mean to say is, I don’t think Drake May is that good and this could ruin his career because if one game’s gonna ruin it, that means he was awful from the jump.
And I think that that’s crazy.
The thing you want to see the guys overcome it and hopefully you watch him at college overcome it like Drake May did in North Carolina, especially in that last year.
Uh, the I know I’m with you.
I, I’ve gone back and forth whether you know, the quarterback said or do you play?
I have leaned always more towards playing them like what you said as long as the, you think, like in practice, it’s like, ok, this guy can at least operate the offense.
All right, then hopefully if you dropped him top five, he has the talent that’s an obvious, should be out there.
If you’re worried about him mentally at that point, it’s like, ok, but hopefully he has the talent to just overcome it.
Let’s just simplify it and go.