Jerod Mayo makes a head-scratching comment about Drake Maye's injury

Coming off just the second win of their season this past Sunday, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots as they prepare to take on the Titans in Week 9. Besides the wondering if they could pull off another victory, the uncertain availability of rookie quarterback Drake Maye is the focus leading up to the game.

Because he left last week's game early in the second quarter due to an uncalled helmet-to-helmet hit, Maye is in concussion protocol and will need to pass five steps in order to return to action. Based on history of quarterbacks suffering this injury, it's highly likely he won't be cleared in time to suit up against the Titans, putting the Patriots' success up in the air for another week.

The injury has created a lot of controversy in New England, mainly due to the NFL officials' decision not to call a penalty on Jamien Sherwood for the egregious hit. It was bad enough that the referee checked in on the quarterback after he was shaken up, but not so bad that it warranted a penalty, apparently.

The Patriots shared their frustration over the matter, with even head coach Jerod Mayo saying as much immediately after the game. But his updated comments in the days since are raising a few eyebrows.

Jerod Mayo's comments on Drake Maye's injury seem out of place given the context

While speaking to the media on Monday morning, Mayo addressed concerns regarding Maye and what happened in the moments after he left Sunday's game. He shared the quarterback wanted to go back into the game, but he had to be placed in concussion protocol, which he did not pass.

He then spoke about the constant debates about having Maye in Week 1 vs. making him the starter midway through the season, pointing to the injury as a reason why he should have remained on the bench longer. And that's when Mayo made an odd comment, seemingly blaming Maye for the play that resulted in him getting concussed.

"This goes back to like, 'Darn if you do, darn if you don't,' you know, and well, we should put them in the first week, or we should put them in here. At a certain time, we're always going to do what's best for the football team. And look, the quarterback is the most important position on the field. I mean, however, you feel about that, the quarterback is the most important position on the field. And he has to protect himself a little better."

While a quarterback needing to protect themselves is a valid belief to have, there's not much more Maye could have done to avoid a helmet-to-helmet hit. You could argue that he should've started sliding earlier than he had, especially since he had already gotten the first down.

But helmet-to-helmet hits are unpredictable, so is it really fair to suggest Maye should have done anything better?

Maybe he was just speaking in generalities, which is entirely fair. He's spot on with that take, and it's an important factor that Maye should remember throughout his NFL career, especially early on. However, it doesn't seem to apply to the situation at hand, therefore making it an odd time to say it.

Regardless, hopefully, Maye will feel better sooner rather than later and can return to the game at full strength this week or next.

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