Zolak & Bertrand: Alex Barth on the right time to start Drake Maye in 2024

Tim McKone and Nick Cattles, in for Zolak and Bertrand today, are joined by Alex Barth of 985thesportshub.com, who shred when he thinks quarterback Drake Maye should make his first start for the Patriots in 2024:

Barth: Just not Week 4. You talk about the worst possible landing spot? Week 3 short week on the road against The Jets. Great defense, but Week 4 you got to go across the country to play the best defense in football in the San Francisco 49ers. I'm a believer in finding a soft landing spot and he doesn't have to start the easiest game of the year, but I'd rather he not start the hardest. So you can talk me into different games here and there. I kind of look at Weeks like 6 through 8 as the sweet spot just even if it's Week 3 and you're like, all right, it's time for Drake Maye, give Jacoby one more. 

McKone: Where are you at, Cattles? 

Cattles: Tennessee Week 8. You know the Titans, not the strongest football team on the planet. And then you've got the Bears and I know the Bears are good. But I still think the Bears are a team that might be able to do some things against him.  The Rams defense isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread either. So I I would throw him out there against Tennessee. I don't want him against the Jets like Barth said, because that defense with Robert Saleh. I don't want him against Houston because Demico Ryans and that defense. The 49ers, no thank you. So I'm looking at the Titans as really the most realistic first shot. 

Barth: So let me ask you guys this because I've had this conversation with reporters. Is home or road the easier start? The argument for at home is you're at home, there's no travel day. The surroundings are more comfortable on the road, though you don't have the pressure of the crowd. So I've gone back and forth on that. I've always kind of said let him make the first start at home. I don't know, I’m kind of leaning road now. I don't know if you guys feel differently.  

LISTEN: When is the ideal time to start Drake Maye

This year’s New England Patriots training camp has a chance to be as busy and as involved as any camp the team has had in recent years. After all of their offseason changes - in terms of both players and coaches - the team has a lot of questions to answer as camp begins on Wednesday. 

Of course, position and roster battles tend to be the bigger storylines of any training camp, but there’s much more going on than just that. So, having already covered the top position battles to watch this summer last week, let’s dig a little deeper. 

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the biggest non-battle storylines to watch at each position on the Patriots’ roster (not including coaching, which is in itself arguably the biggest story following the departure of Bill Belichick but will have less tangible short-term results). That ranges from individual player improvement and usage to full positional questions. 

Heading down to Gillette Stadium for a practice or two this summer, or just following along from afar? Here are some key storylines to keep track of…

Quarterbacks: Drake Maye’s development

This is probably the most obvious ‘what to watch for’ of all the positions. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye seemingly checked every box he could be expected to check in the spring non-padded, non-contact practices. Can he keep building and keep that momentum going in camp?

The biggest test will be when the pads come on and he starts facing something resembling more of a ‘live’ pass rush. That will build up to the actual pass rushers he’ll face in the preseason. Can he operate as cleanly when there are NFL defenders actually on their way to/allowed to hit him?

Running backs: How are they splitting up the reps

For a long time, the Patriots split their running back responsibilities by situation. They had early-down backs (ex. Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, LeGarrette Blount, Stevan Ridley) and passing-down backs (ex. Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, James White). While some backs did both, for the most part there was a clear division in the usage. 

Now the Patriots are running a new offensive philosophy with a new coaching staff, and have two well-rounded backs at the top of their depth chart in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. They are now set up better to divide the workload simply by rotation or fatigue, rather than situation. This can have the advantage of making the offense less predictable, but running backs capable of playing this style can be harder to find. 

Training camp will give us an early look at how the Patriots are dividing the workload. Are there certain situations only one back is repping in? How comfortable do the backs look, not just catching the ball, but blocking? These will be important to track at the position.

Wide receivers: Is Kendrick Bourne ready to start the season?

There’s a log-jam at the bottom of the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart, which we discussed in our position battle preview. As those players compete amongst themselves, Kendrick Bourne’s ability will loom large.

Bourne is working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in October. He didn’t participate in any practices this spring, but was on the field with his teammates at times in street clothes. There hasn’t been an update on Bourne specifically since, but head coach Jerod Mayo did tell reporters at the end of minicamp that - besides Cole Strange - he expects all players to be good to go within “the first couple of weeks of training camp.”

If Bourne is back and at full strength by roster cuts, that’s one less wide receiver job available. However, there is a new rule this year where up to two players can be placed on IR prior to final roster cuts, and still be eligible to return during the regular season. If Bourne isn’t going to be ready for Week 1, the Patriots could go that route with him - potentially opening another spot for a receiver.

Special teams: New kickoff rule