Former Patriots RB Drops Bold Stance on Drake Maye

A former New England Patriots running back dropped a bold stance about starting Drake Maye.

August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

There has been a debate raging among New England Patriots fans about the quarterback situation. Some believe that Jacoby Brissett should continue to start, while others are ready to hand over the keys to rookie quarterback an No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye.

While the idea of giving Maye the starting job sounds intriguing, it's still very early in his young career to throw him to the wolves.

Now, former Patriots running back and Super Bowl champion James White has spoken out with his stance about the subject.

White doesn't think that Maye is ready to start at all. He doesn't think New England should consider making that change at this point in the season.

“Do you all think you’re going to throw a rookie out there and he was just going to go out there and shred it up and handle business? I don’t think so," White said. "Your best offensive lineman, David Andrews, got hurt the first quarter of the game, so that’s tough. Your backup center; you’re playing with a lot of backups up front. I don’t see why anybody’s trying to say Drake Maye needs to go out there and play. It’s just too much going on.”

As much as it would be nice to have a perfect situation for a rookie quarterback, the Patriots don't have that.

Obviously, the offensive line has been a major problem for New England. Maye has played one drive this season so far and he was sacked twice. That doesn't bode well for him.

Too many young quarterbacks have been thrown onto the field early in their first season and gotten hit so much that it rattled them. The Patriots cannot afford to risk that with Maye.

Also, it's clear that New England is nowhere close to being a contender. If they were just missing a quarterback to compet for the playoffs, this would be a different conversation. That isn't even close to being the case.

Letting Maye learn from the sideline and play when he's ready is the right decision. Jerod Mayo is doing the right thing by not giving into the pressure to play Maye.

It still seems likely that Maye will take over as the starter at some point this season, but right now is not the right timing to make that call.

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