New England is going through some changes. With a major overhaul following the departure of the legendary Bill Belichick, there is a new coach in town. Apart from a new coach, and quarterback, the Patriots also onboarded Eliot Wolf as executive VP of player personnel. Now, they have to work together to undo the damage and hopefully bring back the Patriots to their former glory. So, how is it going thus far?
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Appearing on the Up&Adams show with Kay Adams, the new VP touched on many areas of the growing pains of this hopefully new and improved Patriots unit, but according to him, there are not really any pains, as they are still in the “honeymoon phase.” A fresh crew hasn’t really been a challenge in New England, it seems, as Wolf described working with Jerod Mayo and Robert Kraft to be “too good to be true.” He said,
“This is the honeymoon phase, we haven’t really dealt with any adversity, we haven’t lost any games…I think there’s a huge level of mutual trust between us and I feel like we’ll be able to navigate those as they come.”
With the Patriots still just going hard and heavy in the OTA workouts, it’s indeed the honeymoon phase. But things will only get harder from here. Just because of a complete overhaul in Foxborough, things are most likely not going to be smooth sailing.
If anything, the Pats might have to face even more disappointment before they can enjoy the fruits of their well-oiled machinery. But unlike Wolf and Jerod Mayo who have fully stepped into their roles, newly minted Drake Maye still has a long way to go. And the biggest question they will have to answer as they come out of training camp will be ‘where does Maye fit in?’
What is The Patriots’ Plan With Drake Maye?
It’s only been three weeks since the draft, so it’s neither surprising nor concerning that Drake Maye’s place in the QB room remains undecided. According to Wolf, the franchise is willing to take it slow with the No. 3 overall pick. And while ideally, the team would love to debut their new QB, they are not looking to rush him. Speaking about who is likely going to be the starting quarterback next season, he told Kay Adams,
“Right now, it’s Jacoby Brissett. He’s taking the first reps…Then, Drake Maye, let’s be honest…There’s a long way to go with all of our rookies and all of our players…Drake’s been with us for three weeks. We’ll kind of see how it goes here. Maybe he’ll be ready. Maybe he won’t.”
The Patriots are one of the few teams that will have the luxury next season to let their new draftee QB sit on the sidelines and learn the ropes, and they should make good use of it. A strong training camp and preseason could accelerate his path to the starting position, but even if not, the Pats have Jacoby Brissett and all the patience, for now.
If he’s not ready for the role, the best approach would be to let him sit out the season, allowing him to grow and adjust at a suitable pace.
