Patriots’ Alex Van Pelt reinforces his faith in QB Jacoby Brissett
Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt says QB Jacoby Brissett’s performance is holding back rookie Drake Maye from overtaking him as the starter.
FOXBORO — What’s holding Drake Maye back from overtaking Jacoby Brissett as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback?
Jacoby Brissett.
That’s how Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt described the QB situation during a Thursday press conference before practice in Foxboro. Though Maye has shown improvement in recent weeks, while Brissett has backslid after a strong start to training camp, the gap has not closed to the point that Maye is ready to start over the veteran, at this stage.
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Van Pelt was asked what’s holding Maye back from getting more reps with the starting offense, despite his obvious improvement in recent practices and games.
“Jacoby,” Van Pelt answered. “Right now, he’s our starting quarterback. The good news is this week we get to play everybody. We’re still in the evaluation process. We’ve got one more preseason game. Our guys are going to play, so we’ll have a chance to evaluate them.”
Van Pelt was also asked if Maye still has a chance to be named the starting quarterback for Week 1. Based on the relatively low amount of work that Maye has put in with the starters in camp and the preseason, it feels too late for that. But Van Pelt is leaving the door open for a surprise.
“I’m sure,” Van Pelt said, on the possibility of Maye starting Week 1. “I know coach [Jerod Mayo] said it’s an open competition. We’ve got one more game to go. I’m sure there’s a chance. But I think as you go in, there’s still a process of how you bring a rookie quarterback along. So, I think that’s important to remember as well.”
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The Patriots have a tough September schedule, especially so for a rookie who lacks experience working with the 1’s. It would make sense to go with Brissett to start the season, then reevaluate the situation in Week 5. Maye got three handoffs with the starting offense in Wednesday’s practice, so progress is being made there.
It’s clear that Van Pelt and the Patriots are being cautious with Maye, perhaps overly so. But what’s also clear, as of Thursday, is that Van Pelt still has confidence in Brissett as the starter. For now.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
