Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots to Start Drake Maye: Jacoby Brissett, Right or Wrong Move? Maye vs. Texans

Starting point is 00:00:00 The good, the bad, and the why. Rookie quarterback Drake May gives the New England Patriots a better chance to win on the field than on the sidelines. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots.

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Starting point is 00:00:58 never a dull moment in Foxborough, but the big story of the day is going to be the big topic of conversation on today's episode. The Drake the day is going to be the big topic of conversation on today's episode. The Drake May era is about to begin. Many analysts predicted it. So many of you fans hoped for it. Rookie quarterback Drake May will be indeed starting for your New England Patriots this

Starting point is 00:01:18 Sunday when the team hosts the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium for a week six matchup. And of course, this got to love the Drake episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by PrizePix. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL and use the code all lowercase locked on NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. And Pats fans, at long last, the day will finally arrive this Sunday when rookie quarterback Drake May supplants veteran Jacoby Brissett and becomes the starting quarterback for your

Starting point is 00:01:50 New England Patriots. For a lot of you, this has been a long time coming. You've been waiting to see Drake May in this offense. Help to make this offense go, look a little bit better, at least be a little more exciting. Well, I can tell you from those that I've spoken to close to the organization, there is a lot of support that is being driven behind Drake May. I can also tell you that in an ideal world, the Patriots would have loved to start Drake when he's fully ready and behind a strong offensive line.

Starting point is 00:02:17 But given the way Jacoby Brissett struggled in this offense, especially behind the offensive line in the first few games, they chose to opt for a quarterback with off-script ability and big play talent to help turn these things around. Make no mistake, Drake May can go out there and make the big-time throws that you saw him make at North Carolina. He'll be fun to watch. He's also made an awful lot of progress when it comes to reading and manipulating coverages. This will be a much more exciting offense on the field. is he fully ready is the team around him ready well those are the

Starting point is 00:02:50 questions we're going to answer here on today's episode so let's start with why this is a good move and first and foremost folks i mean how can you go wrong starting drake may and those red throwbacks that the patriots are going to be wearing this Sunday against the Texans. Pat Patriot, white helmets, Drake's going to be looking dapper. The team's going to be looking great out there. Genius marketing by the New England Patriots. Well, if we're being honest, that's a plus, but that is not the reason. Let's face it, folks. When you look at this offense and they've sunk to 31st in the league scoring just 12.4 points per game and last in average passing yards at 119.4 all of a sudden that four game losing streak starts to make a whole lot of sense and it also starts to make sense to the coaching staff they need to turn things around

Starting point is 00:03:38 and that's exactly what they're going to do by starting drake may because for as much credit as he's gotten by a lot of members of the media here in New England myself included Jacoby Brissett simply has not been able to get the job done he's holding on to the ball too much there's hesitation there's a lack of anticipation in his throws and it's becoming evident on the field teams have caught on to the blueprint on how to beat the New England Patriots you stack the box to prevent the run, you blitz, play man coverage, put a lot of single high safety looks, and force Jacoby Brissett to hold the ball and make the Patriots pass catchers try to beat you. So far, that has not happened.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And again, this all comes back to Jacoby Brissett holding the ball just a little bit too long. Seems like he's mentally preparing himself for the worst on each and every drop back. That's going to force him to miss open receivers, even when the pocket holds up. And when your quarterback is not delivering in that situation, no matter how tough they are, no matter how well-intentioned they are, and no matter how hard they're trying, and believe me, folks, I can tell you from personal experience, Jacoby Brissett is a worker and is doing the best he absolutely can out there. But there comes a time when a team needs a change, and that's exactly why the Patriots are choosing to make this move at this time. When you look at film on Drake May and what he did at

Starting point is 00:04:55 North Carolina, this was where he really leapt off the page. In fact, it's why Drake was described as the ideal fit within an Alex Van Pelt offense from the moment he was drafted, even before he was drafted, because he has the big playability. He's got the big arm. He can make things happen. He can take his teammates around him and make them better. Last year with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Drake completed 63% of his passes, 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions. He also ran for nine touchdowns. So there's definitely an opportunity for him to be able to make things happen with his legs. Everyone knows about his elite arm strength. No one's questioning that. That's undeniable. But in watching him this summer and in getting the chance to watch the limited action that we

Starting point is 00:05:41 saw him in in the preseason and in the regular season you can see that velocity you can see that touch on the ball he can make any throw required of him including when he's asked to throw the ball into tight windows so from a receiver's perspective this is going to be a welcome change guys like to Mario Douglas, Jalen Polk, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton if he still has a future here probably a conversation for another day but bottom line these guys are going to love this change not that they didn't like Jacoby or not that they didn't respect Jacoby but Drake May has the ability to go off script and make things happen when if we're being honest that's really not Jacoby Brissett's strong suit so right there it's an upgrade going from Jacoby Brissett to Drake May. I also don't

Starting point is 00:06:25 think he gets enough credit for the agility and the instinct he has to know when to turn those off-script options into big gains. Drake is one of the better navigators on the field that I've seen come out of the college game in quite some time, and I think that's going to translate well into this offense. One of the things we keep hearing about Drake May and the progress that he's making is his ability to read and manipulate coverage, seeing the entire field, surveying it, and then picking and choosing the areas in which he wants to exploit it. That's what a quarterback does. That's what an NFL pro quarterback does. And Drake May is doing that better and better each and every time he steps on the field. His footwork has improved, his instincts are getting sharper, and he's showing an ability now to be able to navigate a pro-level offense

Starting point is 00:07:10 that he didn't necessarily have when he walked through the door here for rookie minicamp a few months ago. Again, I don't mean this to be an indictment on Jacoby Brissett, who I really do believe gave his best effort behind a makeshift offensive line, receivers that were having difficulty with routes and getting open, and a running game which provided some relief, but not quite the relief everyone thought it would because of early problems with ball security. But once again, the Patriots need a spark here. They'll get that from their young quarterback.

Starting point is 00:07:42 And in my humble opinion, it's going to be a lot of fun watching Drake May attempt to navigate this offense starting this Sunday against the Houston Texans. But a lot of you out there are wondering why against the Texans? This team is four and one. They've got a pressure-packed defense. Patriots are taking on a one and four Jacksonville Jaguars team in London next week. If he sputters a little bit, it's not in front of a hometown crowd or simply wait until after the London break and give him the start in

Starting point is 00:08:10 week eight. There's some merit to this thought process. And again, that's because handing the keys to a rookie quarterback in what is a very bad quarterback situation here in New England right now comes with a significant set of problems. And in just a moment, we're going to get into why this may be the wrong move for the New England Patriots. Is it just the wrong timing? Or are there enough problems with this Patriots offense that's going to see Drake struggle as much as Jacoby did? We're going to discuss that and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast

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Starting point is 00:10:13 A special tip of the cap to all of you everydayers out there that continue to make us your first listen each and every day. If you've done so, I encourage you to make your second listen to our good friends over at Locked on NFL. Folks, the Locked On NFL podcast is amazing. Exquisitely hosted, all the major storylines across the NFL, broken down and analyzed by the amazing team that we have here on the Locked On NFL channel of the Locked On Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Download, subscribe to follow Locked On NFL wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, folks, we continue to break down the Patriots' decision to start rookie quarterback Drake May this Sunday against the Houston Texans. But we all know it's not just for this Sunday. That baton has now been passed because as former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels recently told Julian Edelman on the Games with Names podcast earlier this week, you don't want to go to the kid and then pull him.

Starting point is 00:11:09 This is the transition. This is now Drake Mays' team on the field. And again, for the vast majority of you out there, you're excited, and you should be. You have every right to be. I am too. This Patriots offense is going to be much more exciting to watch and I think much more productive. But if we're being honest, it does come with some potential risk and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't present the positives to this without presenting some of the negatives. Until now, the buzz around the Patriots and Drake May has been positive about how impressive Drake does look behind the scenes, especially during practices.

Starting point is 00:11:49 We saw a little bit of this in training camp and in the preseason, but don't forget, these practices are now closed to the media. We don't have the insight that we had during camp. But on average, Gerard Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, and the Patriots coaching staff have confirmed that Drake has been getting about 30% of the first team reps in practice. He's also been running the scout team. Now, what's most important here is that he has his teammates and his assistant coaches singing his praises in those reps more and more each and every day.

Starting point is 00:12:13 His coaches are going back. They're watching the practice tape because they're so impressed by the throws that they saw earlier in the day. His teammates are heavily praising him about how well he reads the coverage, how well he manipulates the coverage. Again, all of these factors combined with the problems that the Patriots have been having on offense, they knew they needed a spark. And I can't see a better way to get one than to starting Drake this Sunday against the

Starting point is 00:12:37 Texans. But before you think that Drake May is going to cure everything that's wrong with this Patriots offense, I want to remind all of you that his supporting cast right now, not just a struggling offensive line, but pass catchers that are still finding themselves. The two tight ends have been stellar. Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, strong pass catchers, but there's not a lot of depth behind them right now. So the Patriots need to hope these two guys stay healthy, and by doing so, you want to limit the targets that they're getting. The running backs have run the ball extremely well, but prior to last week's loss against the Dolphins, this was still a team that was struggling to protect the football, namely their star back Ramondre Stevenson. So one can make the argument that this supporting

Starting point is 00:13:18 cast around Drake may be just as problematic as the problems that you were seeing from Jacoby Brissett. I go back to the receivers, and in the previous segment, I said that the receivers were going to love this change. They are going to love this change, but it also comes with some responsibility that's going to be placed on their shoulders. They haven't been getting regular separation, and because both teams have been playing the Patriots in man coverage, they haven't really even been getting the sufficient space they need to make things happen. As far as getting open in the deep part of the field, that hasn't happened the way they should. And the statistics bear that out. The Patriots rank last in the NFL in catches with 39

Starting point is 00:13:55 and receiving yards with 342. Now, a good slice of that blame pie is going to go on Jacoby Brissett's plate for that. I'm not arguing that point, but you can't deny that the receivers need to do a better job, and also you cannot deny the impact of poor offensive line play on the team's offensive woes. The Patriots have started five different offensive line combinations in their first five games. Left tackle, that's been a revolving door, and the injuries have really plagued nearly every position on that line especially on the inside when it comes to David Andrews being out for the season that's a big loss for the New England Patriots David is the rock upon which you build that foundation which is the offensive line and when he's not there it is a difficulty when you put

Starting point is 00:14:42 Drake now behind Nick Leverett who who again, I think is giving a solid effort, trying the best he can, but he allowed a team high nine pressures on Sunday against the Dolphins. This is a concern and it should be a concern for Scott Peters, Alex Van Pelt, for Gerard Mayo and all the Patriots coaching staff. And one of the big reasons why this should be a concern is because Drake has had his difficulty handling pressure. Now, one of the big reasons why this should be a concern is because Drake has had his difficulty handling pressure. Now, one of the things that Alex Van Pelt and the Pats coaches have been working on with Drake is developing his technique when handling that type of pressure. Last season, Pro Football Focus credited Drake with a 19.6% pressure to sack rate. That's on a college level. He's going to be facing professional pass rushers now. There's a big difference between college and the pros,

Starting point is 00:15:26 and he's going against a very tough defense this weekend in the Houston Texans. We're going to get into that in just a little bit, so stick around. You'll hear my thoughts on Drake's ability to navigate this Texans defense. But in the interest of sparkling some positivity here, because I don't want to make it sound all doom and gloom, the Patriots can help to mitigate some of that by putting Drake May in the shotgun. Alex Van Pelt has done that up until this point, and it's been met with some positive results. Drake is most comfortable in the shotgun. That's

Starting point is 00:15:54 where he primarily played at North Carolina. And again, Alex is teaching him footwork techniques that's going to help him be a better pro quarterback. But still, this is where this kid can make things happen. You use the quick passing attack, you add some RPO, some gun runs with their backs, and Drake as well, because he can extend plays and make plays with his legs. That should help to ease the burden on that offensive line. And if we're being honest, the line has looked a little bit better the last couple of weeks. They're getting a little bit healthier, and I really want to give a tip of the cap to Vardarian Lowe. And for as much criticism as I've given him this year.

Starting point is 00:16:31 And it's been a good amount. He looked very good against the Dolphins on Sunday. A 90.5 pass blocking grade from pro football focus. That was tied for first among offensive tackles. 37 pass blocking snaps. Zero pressures allowed. That's the type of offensive line play you want to see in front of any quarterback, especially a rookie quarterback. Vardarian Lowe at left tackle is protecting Drake May's blind side. That's an excellent trend in the

Starting point is 00:16:58 right direction. The question is, is can Vardarian and this line sustain that? Once again, the Houston Texans are pressure happy. It's not going to be as easy this week as it was last week against the Miami Dolphins defense that was still reeling from the loss of their primary pass rusher. You want to make sure that this type of success can be sustained. Is the line strong enough to carry Drake when he's struggling? That's really the question that I think a lot of people need to be asking, and I'm not hearing it asked enough. I want to see Drake out there as much as all of you do. Yes, I agree. The off-script, elusive style will help to mitigate a lot of the line's issues. It's going to help to mitigate a lot of the offense's issues

Starting point is 00:17:40 as a whole. But when the rookie looks like a rookie, and I hate to say it, folks, but it is going to happen at some point, whether it's this week, next week, first quarter, fourth quarter, week eight, week nine, there will be a time where Drake does look like a rookie. Every rookie quarterback goes through it. What the Patriots need to make sure of is that the team around him helps to elevate him. Can this team do it? When Drake needs to lean on his teammates instead of his teammates leaning on him, can they step up to the challenge? Well, the Patriots better hope so

Starting point is 00:18:12 because when you take a level-headed look at things and you take a look at this entire offense as a whole, they do have more problems to fix than just Drake May being plugged in for Jacoby Brissett. And you've seen that time and time again this season. Yes, it feels great right now to have a new rookie quarterback. A lot of excitement. Don't lose that excitement.

Starting point is 00:18:32 But at the same time, also keep your expectations tempered because this is a rookie quarterback. He's a young quarterback. Not a lot of college football experience. He is going to have growing pains. So I encourage you to be patient with this kid. But I believe the payoff is going to have growing pains. So I encourage you to be patient with this kid, but I believe the payoff is going to be worth it. So we've talked about the good and the bad, but why are the New England Patriots choosing to start Drake May against

Starting point is 00:18:55 the Houston Texans of all teams? We've talked a little bit about this Texans defense, but in just a moment, we'll talk about the specific challenges that the Texans may pose to the Patriots this week and why Drake May is in for a trial by fire. All this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return on FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets, guaranteedaranteed. When you place your first $5 bet. So if you're feeling pretty good about the chances of your favorite New England sports team

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Starting point is 00:20:58 Do it today. That's hillsdale.edu slash locked on to register. Hillsdale.edu slash locked on to register. Hillsdale.edu slash locked on. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked on Patriots. And we continue to break down the Patriots' decision to make the switch, if you will, from veteran Jacoby Brissett to rookie Drake May. Drake getting his first NFL start this Sunday, 1 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium against the Houston Texans.

Starting point is 00:21:30 The Pats will be wearing the red throwbacks, the white Pat Patriot helmets. Yeah, from a marketing standpoint, this is genius. But is it really the best strategic time to put Drake May in the lineup? After all, this Houston Texans team is 4-1. They're coming off of a big win against the Buffalo Bills. They're well coached by D'Amico Ryans, solid in all three phases. Wouldn't it make more sense for the Patriots to maybe start Drake against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London next week or wait until the Pats come back to the States for their Week 8

Starting point is 00:22:00 matchup? Well, there are some arguments to the contrary that would lead you to believe that the Houston Texans are the ideal opponent for Drake May to make his debut. One of the Texans top receivers, Nico Collins, placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. He will not be in the lineup this Sunday. We're starting running back. Joe Mixon is injured. These types of injuries will compromise the potency of this Texans offense. They've got some injuries to some key players on defense. Middle linebacker Jake Hansen is injured. Safety Jimmy Ward has his injury concerns. Maybe there's a chance that the Texans could be quote unquote had, so to speak, in this

Starting point is 00:22:34 game. Well, there may be some truth to that, but if we're being honest and fair, this Texans team is a very tough matchup for Drake May. The Texans have the third ranked defense when it comes to DVOA this season, and their coach D'Amico Ryans is known for his innovative style when it comes to defenses. He loves to be able to attack the weaknesses of young quarterbacks. In fact, they can make life downright difficult for them. The Texans had two interceptions on Caleb Williams and sacked him seven times in his second career start back in week two. So this is not going to be an easy test for Drake, no question about it. And even though

Starting point is 00:23:10 that offensive line is looking better as of late, the Patriots line is still allowing the highest pressure rate in the NFL this season, 48.3% according to NextGenStats. That's a lot of pressure. It's not just figurative in this case when it comes to Drake and all the pressures of being the Patriots' starting quarterback, but there's literal pressure being put on him on the field. To give you a little example as to what this Texans defense does when it comes to applying pressure, they're the best in the league. 42% pressure rate. Their defensive end, Daniil Hunter, he's the guy that makes it happen. He leads the league with 29 pressures. And of course, Will Anderson cannot be ignored.

Starting point is 00:23:48 He leads the team with two and a half sacks. Want to talk about trial by fire? This is going to be a trial by fire for Drake May, because even though the Texans may have some offensive woes, they are still capable of making life difficult for Drake. The Pats offensive line is going to have to have its best game of the season. The receivers are going to have to show they have the ability to be able to get open. Look for someone like a Demario Douglas, who is an explosive playmaker and can make things happen. When Drake gets into trouble, Kendrick Bourne may be his go-to target, and that is a solid go-to target. Kendrick is someone with the experience to be able to help him through this,

Starting point is 00:24:23 and that's when you can start hitting your tight ends like Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper once these guys get into the offensive mix when it comes to pass catching then you can start to build your rapport with the rookies Jalen Polk, Javon Baker yes Javon Baker is still on this team folks and he will be a productive receiver in short order. Kayshaun Booty is another one that can make plays happen. Patriots need to utilize these guys. See what they have in a lot of these pass catchers. Because if any one of the names that I just mentioned has a big game alongside this running game of Ramondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, Patriots have a puncher's chance here in this. Do not be a bit surprised if this game is closer than you think.

Starting point is 00:25:03 The Patriots may have an outside chance to earn this victory. Again, I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but when you're playing behind a rookie quarterback who gives your team not only a logistical lift on the field, but an emotional lift in the locker room, and that enthusiasm and excitement is going to be at a fever pitch, yeah, it's going to be a fun one this Sunday in Foxborough when the Texans come to town. And folks, we've only scratched the surface here talking about the Pats and the Texans because my good friends over at Locked On Texans will be joining me here on Thursday for Crossover Thursday so make sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots and of course we've got some expert analysis coming on Drake May and our game previews and predictions. Stay locked into Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:25:46 Download, subscribe, and follow because you will not want to miss a single second of the action. In the meantime, I'm your host, Mike DeBate. And of course, for all of you listeners in the Florida area, especially in the Tampa and Sarasota area, if you are listening to this podcast prior to, during, or after the storm, our sincere best wishes to all of you to stay safe and to stay well through what I'm sure is going to be a very stressful, a very nerve-wracking, and potentially a very scary time. And my sincerest best wishes to all of you.

Starting point is 00:26:18 And folks, thank you. All of you everydayers, all of you casual listeners, and anyone today joining us for the first time, thank you for your support to lock down Patriots and hope you stay locked in because the best is still yet to come. Have a great day. All you Foxborough faithful, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots to Start Drake Maye: Jacoby Brissett, Right or Wrong Move? Maye vs. Texans

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