Jerod Mayo says Patriots are sticking with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback
FOXBORO -- After the Patriots offense failed to do much of anything Sunday in San Francisco, which included some costly mistakes by Jacoby Brissett, the cries to put Drake Maye in at quarterback are only growing louder in New England. But Brissett will remain the team's starter -- at least for now.
After Sunday's 30-13 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said that he isn't making a change at the most important position on the field.
"At this point, Jacoby is our starting quarterback," Mayo said falling to 1-3 on the season. "I haven't watched any film or anything like that. He's been a great leader. He just broke the huddle down after I talked to the guys.
"We have to watch the film. We have a long flight to go back and watch the film and we're always evaluating every single position," added Mayo.
Brissett continues to get demolished by opposing defenses behind New England's makeshift offensive line, as he was sacked six more times on Sunday. Losing starting center David Andrews after just one drive certainly didn't help matters, as Brissett was hit 10 times overall by the San Francisco defense.
But the quarterback also made his own mistakes, something he hadn't been doing over the first three weeks. He threw his first interception of the season, which Fred Warner returned 45 yards to the house to put the 49ers on top, 13-0, early in the second quarter. Brissett was strip-sacked on his last play of the game, one of three fumbles by the QB on the afternoon.
Brissett finished his afternoon 19-of-32 for 168 yards and a touchdown to go with those two lost turnovers. He was still slow to get the ball out, a problem that is exacerbated by New England's shoddy offensive line, and he failed to find his receivers when they were open. He shared a message of optimism with his teammates when he broke the huddle in the locker room after the loss, telling the Patriots to be "hopeful and excited" about their chance to turn the season around.
"When we started this climb, we knew there were going to be bumps on the road and we'd get knocked down. That doesn't stop the climb," said Brissett.
But will Brisett be the one leading the Patriots onto the Gillette Stadium field come next Sunday against the Miami Dolphins? Or will Mayo call an audible and turn to the rookie?
Maye got a series at the end of New England's Week 3 loss to the New York Jets, but Mayo said that he didn't consider putting the rookie out there at the end of Week 4. Perhaps Andrews' injury played into that decision, and could potentially play into the decision to keep Maye on the bench going forward.
While Maye has earned praised for his play on the practice field, playing a 22-year-old behind New England's currently offensive line would be detrimental to his development -- and potentially ruin the future of the franchise.
So Mayo is sticking with the veteran quarterback -- at least for now. We'll see if his feelings change after the team's long flight back to New England after a third straight defeat.