Drake Maye’s Assault on the World Begins This Sunday

And so it begins. The moment we've been waiting for. Sooner than a lot of Patriots fans are comfortable with. Before the offensive line has demonstrated they can slow down a pass rush any better than a parking lot speed bump. But the utter embarrassment that has been this passing attack over the first five weeks has unacceptable. It's hard to market yourself as a professional football team in the modern age when you're averaging just over 12 points per game, just one touchdown per game, and can't score if a drive starts on your 30-yard line. 

I understand a very good case can be made for continuing to sit Drake Maye. He is the vessel into which we've poured our hopes and dreams. I've said a million times developing him is the franchise's Starfleet Prime Directive, and nothing has changed. But I've also said he can't sit forever. Using a lot of metaphors about how you can't keep a car in the driveway or a ship in a harbor. Especially one you've invested a lot of money (read: draft capital) on. To add another analogy into the mix, you can only baby proof your house for so long before you have to trust your kid not to take a digger down the stairs, burn himself on the stove or stick a fork in the outlet. 

Personally, I targeted Week 5 as that time. I've been saying that since preseason. I was off by seven days. I'll take that as a win. Yet at the same time, a case can be made that while Jacoby Brissett struggles, you've got a young corps of receivers who are withering and dying on the vine due to lack of use. Demario Douglas and Ja'Lynn Polk in particular have been among the league leaders in separation rate, and while they're running themselves open the ball is either getting checked down to a back for minimal gain or getting thrown away for no gain. That has to change if these guys are going to avoid the N'Keal Harry career arc.

Am I nervous? Worried Maye will get snapped into like a Slim Jim in the hands of The Macho Man? Of course I am. Who wouldn't be, knowing that the only thing standing between a 22-year-old rookie and a bunch of feral maniacs trying to make their incentive bonuses is the likes of Vederian Lowe, Demontrey Jacobs and Nick Leverett (10 pressures in 36 dropbacks vs. the Dolphins)? That's a terrifying thought. 

But I didn't want the Pats to draft Maye because I have faith he'll succeed when everything is perfect. On the contrary. I saw what he did at UNC last year, with a bad offensive line and an entirely new offensive system. I watched tape of him getting the ball out quickly, using his size and his legs, rolling the pocket, avoiding pressure, breaking tackles, running when it was the right call, making plays out of structure, throwing receivers open deep, and basically looking like a reasonable facsimile of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over the last 5-10 years. 

He's the QB you want when you're experiencing total system failure. Which we have had a surplus of since 2018. And I have no doubt he'll get plenty of chances to prove what he can do when everything around him goes pear-shaped. This week at home against Houston. The next week on a neutral site against Jacksonville. And the week after at Gillette again against the Jets. If nothing else, this move at this time assures us that the Patriots are no longer going to be trending where they have. Which is the Shemp of Boston sports. The No. 4 team no one cares about. They're going to be hyper-relevant once again. Which would be the worst possible reason if that's why they're making the switch. 

I like to think it's because the kid is ready. Here's hoping I'm right. Hope is all we have right now.