Giardi: Drake Maye progressing through the protocol, but Patriots have plan if he's not ready to go Sunday

FOXBOROUGH - Per Jerod Mayo, Drake Maye remains in concussion protocol and will be limited to 30 minutes or less of practice time on Wednesday. That would indicate that the rookie quarterback is in the third stage of five in his return to play.

"He will throw the ball at times in practice today, but he will be limited," Mayo said. "There are people a lot smarter than me as far as clearing people with concussions, and we'll lean on our medical professionals and also the NFL league policy as far as getting him ready to play."

That said, Maye was not seen during the media access portion of practice, which lasted just two periods and around 15 minutes. Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton were the only two quarterbacks in action. The Pats likely were keeping Maye out of our view and deploying him for a different stage of the session. (*They later listed him as "limited" on the injury report, which was released around 4:15 this afternoon*).

Only once in recent memory has a quarterback been concussed and returned to play the following week. That was San Francisco's Brock Purdy at the tail end of last season. Now, Purdy has had multiple years in the 49ers system. On the other hand, Maye has just three starts under his belt and missed the final three quarters of Sunday's win over the Jets after the independent spotter radioed down to the Pats sideline to have him checked out by a sideline unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. 

"I do have confidence that if the league says he's ready to play, he will be able to go out there and operate," noted Mayo. "In saying that, I feel very comfortable putting Jacoby in there as he is a professional and always stays ready, as you could see from the last game. However that plays out, we'll see."

From what I have been able to ascertain, Maye has felt no ill effects from the Jamien Sherwood hit to the back of the head, and as Mayo noted, his spirits are good. He briefly appeared in the locker room today just before the media was ushered out, conversing with his next-door neighbor (locker-wise) Brissett. Players in the protocol cannot be interviewed, and Maye kept his head down while at his locker.

If Maye isn't cleared, fellow rookie Milton would be the backup. That would mark the first time he's been up for a game. Thus far, he's been designated as the emergency quarterback. Internally, the Pats have been very pleased with Milton's approach in the classroom and practice field, and they appreciate his competitiveness, especially on the scout team. Teammates insist Milton is good for at least one 'wow' throw a week.

"Joe's super talented, big arm, very athletic, so very dynamic athlete in a lot of ways," admired Hunter Henry. "So he's a great player, and I know he'll be ready if that presents itself. 

As for Brissett, he's coming off arguably his best game of the season, leading the Pats to a pair of fourth-quarter scores, including the game-winning 70-yard march. Mayo gave him one of the game balls for his efforts.

"It was cool," Brissett admitted. "Obviously, not expecting – I won't say not expecting to play, but obviously, it wasn't on my bingo card before the game. Just to go out there and make the most of the opportunity."

The Pats went into a much more run-heavy script on first downs with Maye out and worked some of the shorter, quicker game stuff that Brissett is comfortable with. But when he had to push the ball down the field on that final drive, he did, connecting with Kayshon Boutte for that 34-yarder, even with a free rusher diving at his legs. While it may have come as a surprise to some of you, especially based on Brissett's early season struggles, he played well in relief of Sam Howell a couple of times last year.

"Having the right people around me, obviously, that's one," said Brissett when asked how he's managed the ebbs and flows of this season. "Then, trusting and believing in the things that got me to the point that I am in my career. You don't just look up and be in the league for nine years. So, I just stick to what I've known that has gotten me this far and what I believe that'll help propel my career even longer. So, just believing in myself."

If it is Brissett this weekend, he'll face a Titans defense that is 9th in DVOA under first-year coordinator Dennard Wilson (from the Mike Macdonald/Baltimore tree) despite coming off a 52-14 loss against the Lions. Tennessee's special teams were a disaster in that game, and Detroit managed just 225 yards of total offense, averaging 4.8 yards per play.

"They have a lot of good players up front, and it starts with [Jeffrey] Simmons," said Mayo. "He's one of those guys that's a huge disruptor. You go to the second and third level, you see a lot of guys with speed and flying around. I would also say they're a little bit unpredictable as far as the play calling on the defensive side of the ball, which is a huge challenge for us. As I always say, we have to be able to see the same picture through the same set of goggles."

PRACTICE NOTES

Ja'Lynn Polk, Layden Robinson, and Kyle Dugger were all at practice during the media-access portion. Polk appears to have cleared concussion protocol, which cost him the Jets game. 

The only two players not spotted were Vederian Lowe and Maye. Cole Strange continues to work out in shorts and a t-shirt on the lower grass field, away from his teammates. Per the injury report, Jaquelin Roy was also a no go.