FOXBOROUGH - Now that this quarterback "competition" is over, can we all agree that it was never a fair fight - or a legit fight - to begin with? Hell, don't take it from me (though I've been preaching it); take it from the runner-up, Drake Maye.
"Jacoby's been in the offense and got the reps with the ones all camp," he said, trying to mask some frustration. "So can't really say I'm disappointed, but at the same time, (I) want to be playing."
Maye put his best foot forward from the preseason game against Philadelphia through this weekend's game against Washington. However, despite assertions that he had a chance to unseat the veteran, Jacoby Brissett, the practice reps never revealed that opportunity. If anything, some of the late first-team work was nothing more than a courtesy designed to catch people's attention but had zero substance or meaning behind it.
When we talked to Brissett, he seemed almost put off by the idea that he was in danger of losing the job. In some ways, I can't blame him. He got all but a few of the first-team reps, starting with OTAs, through mandatory mini-camp, and then this summer.
"I mean, we had an, I guess, an official conversation because y'all (media) wanted them to make an announcement," he told us Thursday morning. "So he (Jerod Mayo) kind of said something to me today. But yeah..."
Brissett felt his performance these last two weeks was better than been described - "I think I've been playing pretty well. You know, a couple plays in a preseason game doesn't really reflect that, but I've been practicing pretty well. And so I'm just excited for, I guess, more than 10 plays in a game." - which may explain why he was lost in thought for a second or three before dismissing Mayo's Monday morning quote about being outplayed by Maye, responding to me by saying, "Man, I don't (pause) β no feeling, you know?"
I suspect he had feelings, perhaps strong ones, about that comment but chose not to let them play out in public. Smart move. The decision to bring Brissett here was partly about who he is and how he carries himself. He knows he's a seat warmer. Who's to say whether it's for a week, month, or year? But rocking the boat and not supporting his bosses and eventual successor would be problematic.
"He's done a great job, dating back from when he first got here to where he is now, has been, you know, light years' difference," said Brissett of Maye. "I think he'll say the same. I'm excited for his future, and he's gonna be a good, obviously, a good quarterback in his league.
"And, he came up to me with, like, me, whatever you need, I'm here for and, and it's the same thing for him. I mean, whatever he needs for me, I'll do the same."
Maye confirmed that conversation, adding that he would do whatever he's asked, whenever he's asked.
"Shoot, I'm still one play away," he said. "So I'm just going to be ready for all circumstances, here to help Jacoby and keep the vibes in the quarterback room. ... still rooting for him, still cheering for him."
Maye is at the point in his career where he doesn't know what he doesn't know; admitting this week and beyond will challenge him because he's not had that kind of week, where reps will be minimal - "Yeah, that something I'm gonna have to figure out."
It won't look like it did this preseason when defenses played about as basic as possible. The Pats have run a lot of two-man high-low combinations for the rookie. That works in August, but it will be far more challenging in September and beyond. Maye will now get more time to marinate and learn, hopefully creating a smoother transition when the time comes.