Trying To Make Sense Of Drake Maye Behind Bailey Zappe In Patriots QB Snaps
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FOXBORO, Mass. — Is it confusing? Sure. But there’s no reason to be concerned about Drake Maye getting third-team reps behind New England Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett and incumbent Bailey Zappe.
Yet, anyway.
Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo believes Maye is getting enough reps. Whether those snaps come with the ones, twos or threes while the calendar reads May, well, Mayo and company aren’t stressed about it.
“It’s not how many opportunities, it’s what you do with the opportunities that you get,” Mayo said before New England’s fourth OTA practice at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
During the two open-to-media sessions, Maye has served as the third-stringer behind Brissett and Zappe. On Wednesday, Brissett was the clear headliner in competitive 11-on-11s. Maye benefited from being the only quarterback on one of the two Gillette Stadium practice fields, and thus got more work during 7-on-7s. Zappe, though, received more 11-on-11 snaps than Maye due to the same multi-field reason.
Maye received plenty of reps Wednesday, and seemingly more than he received on Day 1 of OTAs due to the absence of Joe Milton III. But Zappe riding shotgun while Maye is in the back seat still feels odd.
It begs the question: Why do the decision-makers feel they should go about it that way?
The obvious reason is the Patriots don’t want to just hand the rookie(s) the top reps. It’s been the same on the offensive line — Caedan Wallace is working with the twos — and wide receivers. Should Maye, Wallace along with wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker immediately see first-team reps, it likely wouldn’t go over well among veterans in the locker room. That wouldn’t be earning it, after all.
On the other hand, don’t the veterans understand the situation? Don’t the players catching passes from Zappe, who’s well-liked in the locker room, understand Maye will be the backup in short order? And if so, doesn’t that feel like time wasted to build chemistry? Doesn’t it feel like a bit of a sham? Maybe they even view Maye as the better player already.
Another reason for the decision-makers’ line of thinking might be because the Patriots are protecting themselves from a worst-case scenario, like a preseason injury to Brissett. Should Brissett go down on the first snap of mandatory minicamp, or training camp this summer, New England surely wouldn’t want that to change the developmental plan for Maye. They’re playing the long game, and that makes sense. Zappe then could slide in as a lesser bridge QB while the Patriots ramp up Maye for a month or however long it takes.
The Patriots are in an interesting position. Mayo agreed it might be “awkward” for Zappe while Brissett referred to it as the “elephant in the room.”
But if the Patriots get to a point in training camp and Zappe is receiving more reps with better players than Maye, well, that’s where things have gone too far. We’re not at that point yet, though. So while it might feel strange and confusing, it’s not a cause for concern.
Yet, anyway.
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Trying To Make Sense Of Drake Maye Behind Bailey Zappe In Patriots QB Snaps
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