On the surface, New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo’s decision to start Drake Maye against the best defense in the NFL by opposing quarterback completion percentage and quarterback pressure rate, without the team’s starting running back, with its sixth offensive line in six weeks and a new center signed midweek (nevermind the fact that New England lost three more offensive linemen over the course of the game) felt like more than just malpractice. It felt like a panic maneuver for a new head coach feeling the political squeeze of a lost season and the dreadful emotional toll on the locker room that comes with protecting one kid’s future above the other players in the locker room.
And while that may or may not have been the impetus behind his ultimate decision, Mayo can walk away from Week 6 claiming he knew Maye was ready for the moment—because the rookie absolutely was. And ultimately, if you believe the story woven by owner Robert Kraft about a series of observations he had of Mayo’s interpersonal skills over the years and why that would make him a great head coach, the idea that Mayo knew this wasn’t going to be the absolute sinkhole disaster the rest of us did should go a long way toward calling the biggest decision of the post–Bill Belichick Patriots a success for the moment.
