When the New England Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett, it was speculated that this 2024 season would see him as a starter for the team. However, from his last two preseason games, backup QB Drake Maye surprised all by outshining Brissett. Well, now this would have dwindled many, including the coach who first favored a third-round pick as the leader.

However, the truth is, being a coach, Jerod Mayo is looked upon as the team’s representative. Hence, his mistake has caused a stir on social media, with many mocking the new HC, including Mike Florio, who also gave him a piece of advice.

It’s time to hire a speech coach

In a recent episode of Sunday Night Football on NFL on NBC, Mike Florio and Devin McCourty talked about Jerod Mayo’s comments about the “true” QB competition. During the show, Florio recalled that earlier Mayo said about Drake Maye that “he is currently the second-best QB in the roster” after Jacoby Brissett. But after Maye pulled up his game in the preseason battles, where he “completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards, and one touchdown,” Mayo, via Florio, “contradicted himself” by saying that “at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby.” Narrating this, Florio laughed at HC’s statements, and gave advice that now he, being the leader of the Pats, needs a speech coach.

Explaining his point, Florio added that while discussing these two statements with his fellow people in the room, “….somebody said this is why you get coach speech. And people complain about Coach speech, but when you get coach speech, you don’t get one thing one day, and the other thing the next day.” Hence, Florio pointed out how this inconsistency shows why many coaches still stick to “coach speech” to give generic answers and avoid any fuss or potential contradictions.

McCourty also chimed in saying that now, Mayo, being new to the role, is learning how to navigate media interactions and the weight his words carry. So, according to them, Mayo should register a speech coach training for himself which averagely costs around $65K, to avoid making two contradictory statements one after the other, and mixing up Maye’s future.

Nevertheless, Mayo might not hire a speech coach. His team needs to get a starter soon. And with recent incidents and updates, it seems Drake Maye still has that one chance!

Who will Jerod Mayo pick as his starter?

After two preseason games, coach Jerod Mayo said Jacoby Brissett is still QB 1. However, Sunday’s final preseason game has changed his perspective a bit. Maye’s 126 yards, a touchdown, early lead, and his cleat episode, all, including Brissett’s injury, have compelled Mayo and the Patriots to rethink their decision. As in a press conference, he revealed, “… this is a true competition. I would say at this point Drake has outplayed Jacoby.” But the question is who will be the next new starter for the Foxborough team in the upcoming 2024 battle, which would be more intense compared to the preseason. Meanwhile, comparing the two quarterbacks, Maye “has followed Brissett in all three games, playing 66 snaps and going 21-of-34 for 192 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Additionally, he has registered seven rushes for 32 yards and one touchdown.”

Whereas on the other hand, Brissett “started all three of the team’s preseason games, playing 27 total snaps and finishing 5-of-14 for 36 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception.” So, as per stats, it seems Maye is ahead of Brissett, given the preseason stats and overall performance. However, the regular season will be more competitive and challenging than these preseasons, and hence it is yet to be decided who can handle that pressure. Meanwhile, Brissett, who is overcoming his shoulder injury, thinks, “In my eyes, I am [starting Week 1]. I haven’t heard anything differently. So that’s what I have to go off of.”

So, does that mean Brissett is going to start? As of now, head coach Jerod Mayo has only confirmed, “I would say by Monday night, we should know who the quarterback is….I think Monday, Monday-Tuesday, we probably need to know who it is.”