Criticism of Patriots' Drake Maye's debut vs. the Jets is all wrong

The Patriots' rookie quarterback, Drake Maye, got his first taste of real NFL play in the week three blowout loss to the Jets away. Good for Head Coach Jerod Mayo for finally getting the rookie on the field.

All the excuses in the world can't mask the fact that you learn how to play in the NFL, or any other league for that matter, by playing.

Proponents of sitting the third overall pick in the draft come up with all kinds of reasons suggesting that playing him is a bad idea. Whatever one might think, Mayo finally let Maye take his first NFL step, and it was a pretty good one, regardless of his stats.

Let's look at some spurious criticisms and send them where they belong: right into the trash bucket. Pundits harp on factors in Maye's debut that supposedly justify keeping a clipboard in Maye's hands, not a football. Let's opine on why they're wrong.

Patriots' Maye's experience needs to be on the field not the sideline

Maye had a stat line of 4/8 completions for 50 yards. Those are admittedly not earth-shattering. Yet, it was his first real NFL encounter against a solid Jets defense that threw the house at him. No matter who you are, jitters are to be expected in any rookie player's first game. Coming into a game cold late would naturally enhance those jitters.

It's no revelation that Maye was not properly prepared this pre-season for playing in the NFL. He got almost no snaps with the first-team O-line (such as it is) at all. That was mistake number one. Maye, as the quarterback on the way, should have taken precedence over journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett in reps from the outset.

However, when you ill-advisedly pay $8M for a place-holder QB, you'll be pressured to play him, no matter the outcome. That's exactly what the Patriots' leadership seems to have decided to do after wasting salary-cap money on a backup when they knew they'd draft a young QB high and that he has to play.

Additionally, Maye got too few minutes on the field in pre-season games. He should have been getting all the first-team team minutes, plus. A rookie needs pre-season reps against NFL teams, no matter how low on their rosters those players are. Both of these gaffes contributed to his rather sketchy debut.

The last notation on his debut is the obvious one. The Patriots' offensive line is a train wreck. It wasn't good initially due to the lack of any NFL left tackles on the roster. Now, injuries have further depleted its ranks. Brissett has taken his lumps, and so did Maye in his debut, being sacked twice. That contributed to his rather mediocre first game. It is what it is.

But it shouldn't keep him on the bench.

Regardless, you get experience by playing in the best or worst circumstances. Maye ran well for a first down while deftly stepping out of bounds. But his finest moment came on a brilliant pass play where he side-stepped the ongoing rush and threaded the needle to Pop Douglas on a great completion. That demonstrates the kid has what it takes.

Maye is the Patriots' future, and the only future is now. Worrying about injuries is silly. Injuries happen in football, no matter how good the players around you are. Even quarterbacks with solid offensive lines get hurt. You take what's given to you and make the best of it. No team will ever be perfect.

Lastly, there are ridiculous theories about wrecking Maye's confidence if things go wrong. If a player has the required grit and resilience, he'll adapt, improvise, and overcome adversity. If he can't, it's the next man up. The thought here is that Maye has what it takes.

The only way to find out is to continue to put him on the field. A whole host of factors, many of which were not under his control, contributed mightily to his less-than-stellar debut. Yet, that effort is no reason to sit him on the bench.

There were great signs against the Jets that really good things are on the way for Drake Maye and the Patriots with him as their quarterback. Football players learn by playing, and that's exactly why Maye should be inserted as the Patriots' starting quarterback now.

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