Patriots Mailbag: Is Drake Maye's time here?

• Christian Abraham on X (formerly Twitter): "As we all wait for mayeday, What would a Van Pelt offense look with Maye under center? / X"

  As we all wait for mayeday, What would a Van Pelt offense look with Maye under center?

  Good question Christian. This is the big unknown whenever Drake Maye takes over. Quarterback alignment is a key focus in that regard. Maye rarely took snaps under center in college – something Alex Van Pelt does a lot of. Will he incorporate more shotgun with Maye in the game? Pistol could also be an option, placing the running back behind Maye. That way they can still run a lot of the same play action concepts.

  Another thing to watch for will be more designed quarterback runs. Maye can be a threat with his legs, and establishing that will help keep opposing pass rushes off tempo.

• Commander Ray on X (formerly Twitter): "Jacoby is bad, the worst starter in the NFL how can anyone defend keeping Maye on the bench. You can't protect him forever and the longer you hold him out the easier it is to talk yourself into not this week because X is hurt or we're facing Y Defense / X"

  Jacoby is bad, the worst starter in the NFL how can anyone defend keeping Maye on the bench. You can't protect him forever and the longer you hold him out the easier it is to talk yourself into not this week because X is hurt or we're facing Y Defense

  I know this question is a little tongue in cheek, but there do still seem to be some Patriots fans who want Drake Maye to remain on the bench. Why? Most likely, the situation around him. There is always a chance a young quarterback will develop bad habits or suffer a serious injury – that’s football. But where the Patriots’ offense was for the first month of the year, those chances were exaggerated to an exponential extent. As things start to settle down and players get healthy a change should be more realistic, but there are certainly some fans that won’t feel as confident.

• David Jacobs on X (formerly Twitter): "With the offense being this stagnant when does "taking care of the ball" become too conservative of an approach vs risking it more and actually moving the chains? The last drive when they were desperate accounted for more than 25% of the total passing yards & Jacoby's passing yds / X"

  With the offense being this stagnant when does "taking care of the ball" become too conservative of an approach vs risking it more and actually moving the chains? The last drive when they were desperate accounted for more than 25% of the total passing yards & Jacoby's passing yds

  Interesting question David. In both this week’s game and Week 2 against the Jets, the Patriots’ final drive accounted for a significant portion of the team’s yardage. In those situations though, the defense is playing pretty conservatively so the offense isn’t facing the same resistance it usually does.

  As long as Jacoby Brissett is in at quarterback, the margin for error for the offense is slimmer, and they do need to do everything they can to avoid turnovers. That may change a bit when Drake Maye takes over, but the overall talent level still suggests clean football needs to be a priority. 

• NEPatriotstalk on X (formerly Twitter): "With Boutte getting more playing time and Bourne being back in the rotation do you think the Patriots might move on from either Thornton or Osborne? / X"

  With Boutte getting more playing time and Bourne being back in the rotation do you think the Patriots might move on from either Thornton or Osborne?

  First of all, Kayshon Boutte deserves some recognition. While he hasn’t done anything mind-blowing he’s quietly put together a few good games here – an encouraging sign for a player who has struggled to maintain a consistent level of play since being drafted last year.

  Between Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Pop Douglas, and rookie Ja’Lynn Polk it looks like the Patriots have found a sustainable four-man wide receiver rotation. That leaves Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborn as the odd men out. Osborn’s experience makes him a good depth option, so seemingly Thornton will draw the short stick. Given his name came up in recent trade rumors, it’s safe to assume the team feels the same way.

• Andrew Caraway on X (formerly Twitter): "Would hiring Josh McDaniels as OC been a better move for Coach Mayo? Given his track record and also what Josh did with Mac? / X"

  Would hiring Josh McDaniels as OC been a better move for Coach Mayo? Given his track record and also what Josh did with Mac?

  Would Josh McDaniels have been a better hire than Alex Van Pelt? Yes, given his experience both as an offensive play-caller and working with young quarterbacks. However, that’s only half the story. Reports at the time indicated McDaniels likely would have gone with Bill Belichick had he taken another coaching job. If the Patriots had waited Belichick out, they would have risked missing on a significant number of candidates as other teams filled their vacancies. Even then, if McDaniels didn’t want to be a part of the new coaching staff they would have passed on multiple potential hires for nothing.

• Will Malone on X (formerly Twitter): "Given the recent defensive issues, are the problems more in scheme or execution AND/OR have injuries and trades (Barmore/Bentley/Judon) just regressed the talent/experience too much on the D for them to compete upfront. / X"

  Given the recent defensive issues, are the problems more in scheme or execution AND/OR have injuries and trades (Barmore/Bentley/Judon) just regressed the talent/experience too much on the D for them to compete upfront.

  This is kind of a ‘chicken or egg’ thing. The Patriots are working with less defensive talent, while also trying to implement a new scheme that in some ways seems to compensate for the talent they’re missing. If we were going to make a blame pie I’d probably give the talent issue a slightly bigger slice, just from the core philosophy of ‘Jimmys and Joes, not Xs and Os,’ but that’s just me.

• The 12th Musket on X (formerly Twitter): "Amari Cooper and Jack Conklin for Pats 2nd round pick and Tyquan Thornton, can we make it happen? / X"

  Amari Cooper and Jack Conklin for Pats 2nd round pick and Tyquan Thornton, can we make it happen?

  Does this trade help either team? The Patriots give up what is on track to be a top-40 pick for two players in their 30s including an offensive lineman with an injury history. The Browns – including a coaching staff that probably needs to win now to save its jobs, gets a future asset that won’t help accomplish that, and an unknown at best at wide receiver. I’m not sure either side says yes here.