Play Drake Maye now.

Mayday! Mayday! Sound the alarms!

The Patriots are coming off an embarrassing 30-13 loss to a banged up San Francisco 49ers team. No one expected the Patriots to win or even compete against the defending NFC champs, but is it too much to ask for them to entertain us? Is it too much to ask to see a little more life out of this offense? Is it too much to ask to throw the ball deep downfield to the wide receivers every once in a while?

One of the few highlights of the game for me was the Ja’Lynn Polk near-spectacular catch deep down the left sideline between two defenders that was ruled out of bounds. Through four games, it was the one glimpse of Polk’s potential we’ve really seen. 

Other wide receivers drafted in 2024 have been making major contributions to their teams: Marvin Harrison, Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brock Bowers, Xavier Worthy, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, and Ladd McConkey. It is nothing against Polk, he just hasn't had the opportunity to show what he can do because his quarterback can't get him the ball.

It is not good when I look at Jacoby Brissett’s stat page and his passing yards per game looks something like I might expect from a good running back. As a matter of fact, Derrick Henry only has 56 fewer rushing yards this year than Brissette has passing yards.

The Patriots start a four-game homestand this Sunday with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins, without Tua, may be the only team in the league with an equally bad offense as the Patriots right now. It will be a disservice to fans if Brissett is under center for the first snap. 

New England has only scored four touchdowns in four games. It doesn’t take a math major to see that comes out to an average of one touchdown per game. Tom Brady threw for 50 touchdowns in 2007. That averaged to over three touchdowns per game just by himself.

Is that an unfair comparison? Yes, it probably is, but not because it is not fair to Brissett to compare him to Brady, but, instead, because it is not fair to Tom Brady. He single-handedly produced touchdowns at three times the rate of this entire Patriots team.

I don’t want to hear the predominant contrarian argument that it is insane to play Maye behind this offensive line. If Maye is really a superstar in the making, he can, and will, raise the level of play of everyone around him. 

If you were a wide receiver right now, would you be motivated to enthusiastically run every pass route at full intensity knowing the ball is not coming to you?

If you are a running back, how do you feel knowing that defenses are stacking eight people in the box because they don’t respect the passing game?

How do you feel as an offensive lineman if you know defenses are blitzing, relentlessly, because they know there is no threat of getting burnt by a deep pass?

Do you blame defensive players like Christian Gonzalez and Keon White for taking chances to try to create turnovers and score some points, defensively? This week veteran defensive lineman, Davon Godchaux, called out some defensive players for being selfish, but I think players are just taking gambles because they know their offense can't score.

Play Drake Maye. 

Figure out how to make it work. That is the job of coaches and coordinators. If Alex Van Pelt likes to have his quarterback under center, likes to establish the run to open up playaction, and likes to emphasize his tight ends, then, guess what, the Patriots hired the wrong guy.

Play Drake Maye. 

Go shotgun 80% of the time. Get him out of the pocket. Call some design runs for the quarterback. Run some RPOs. Integrate some screen passes to counter these pass rushes.

One of the best offensive plays the Patriots had against the Jets was a 19-yard gain by Austin Hooper on a tight end screen. Could Jaheim Bell, with his ability to run after the catch, be used as a weapon in that scenario? 

Antonio Gibson’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield has been underutilized. He should be catching at least four passes out of the backfield every game. He’s made the most big plays by anybody on offense this year. Get him the ball.

The way you do that? Play Drake Maye. 

Drake Maye is the highest drafted quarterback by the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe went first overall in 1993. The Patriots won the right to the first overall draft pick thanks to going 2-14 the year before.

New England’s quarterback in that 2-14 season was the 1992 version of Jacoby Brissett. Hugh Millen was a journeyman backup quarterback who wore the number 7 for the Patriots, just like Brissett. Millen was gritty and tough and he took a beating in the 1992 season.

Everyone loved Hugh Millen, but Parcells knew not to waste any more time with him.

The team Bledsoe inherited in 1993 was similar to the team Maye has in 2024. Leonard Russell was a slightly above average running back similar to Rhamondre Stevenson. He was the focus of their offense.

The best receiver the Patriots had returning in 1993 was a slow, reliable, sure-handed tight end named Marv Cook. He was a Hunter Henry clone.

The cupboard was bare at wide receiver in 1993. The team Maye would be inheriting has far more talent than Bledsoe had. Bledsoe’s top receiver was a rookie, second round draft pick, named Vincent Brisby. Say what you will of the current wide receiver corps, but this Patriots team has at least five receivers better than Brisby was.

Bledsoe did have an All-Pro left tackle in Bruce Armstrong. Armstrong was past his prime, however, and near the end of his career. The rest of the offensive line included a starting center and right guard that I am not embarrassed to say I don’t remember. If you remember Mike Arthur and Rich Balinger, give yourself a gold star. The other two starters were young and unproven high draft picks, Pat Harlow and Eugene Chung. Any of this sound familiar?

With all these lack of offensive weapons and a horrible offensive line, new Patriots’ head coach Bill Parcells had no hesitation in starting Bledsoe from day one. Sure Bledsoe struggled for the first three-quarters of the season, but then something clicked and New England finished the season with five straight wins. 

There was reason for optimism. The Patriots had a quarterback who could throw the ball downfield. With Bledsoe, the Patriots had an offense that was exciting and could keep up with quarterbacks like Dan Marino.

What is relevant to today was that Bledsoe made everyone around him better. What is that saying that a rising tide raises all ships? Drew Bledsoe raised everyone’s game.

Leonard Russell had the best year of his career in 1993, rushing for seven touchdowns and a career-best 1088 yards. 

Ben Coates was primarily a run-blocking tight end before Bledsoe turned him into one of the best receiving tight ends in franchise history.

 Brisby would follow up a solid rookie season with near 1000-yard seasons in 1994 and 1995. 

Wide receiver Michael Timpson had only 51 receptions total in four seasons before the arrival of Bledsoe. Timpson had 116 catches in Bledsoe’s first two seasons. 

Bledsoe even turned full back, Kevin Turner, into a weapon in the passing game. Turner had 91 catches in Bledsoe’s first two seasons after only having seven career receptions prior to that.

Turner would also have the game winning touchdown catch in one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen by a quarterback. The Patriots’ three decade run of relevance and dominance can be traced back to this one game in Week 11 of the 1994 season.

The Patriots built off their strong finish in 1993 by starting 1994 winning three of their first five games. However, they lost their next four games entering a matchup with the 7-2 Minnesota Vikings. The high powered Vikings’ offense was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. Moon was the first quarterback who proved you could still play into your 40’s. He also threw the most beautiful spiral you will ever see.

Minnesota scored the first 20 points that day in November, 1994. At half, the Vikings led, 20-3. It was an absolute bloodbath. Minnesota dominated the Patriots in total yardage, 286-89. Moon had already thrown for 234 yards. 

It looked like the Patriots were headed to their seventh loss and another lost season. I can only imagine what Parcells said to the team at halftime. My guess is it was something along the lines of, “F*** it. We are not going down like this. We’re going to air it out. What do we have to lose?”

Contrast that with how Mayo coached on Sunday. Just look at Mayo’s decision to not go for it on 4th-and-3 at the San Fran 45 yard line in the first quarter as Exhibit A. Mayo gave me the impression he had no intentions on trying to win the game. Mayo just didn’t want to get blown out.

Not Parcells. His team was down, 20-3. He didn’t care if he lost, 70-3. A loss is a loss. Parcells wanted his team to go down fighting. He wanted his team to show him something.

Bledsoe operated moat of the second half out of the shotgun and running a no huddle. After halftime, Bledsoe attempted an incredible 53 passes, completing —get this – 37 of them. He threw for 354 yards after the half. Jacoby Brissett would love to have those numbers in two games, nevermind a half.

Bledsoe would break a number of records that day. Bledsoe finished with 45 completions on 70 attempts! It was a shock to see a Bill Parcell’s coached team desert the run and go to a no-huddle offense and pass on every down. It was one of the most entertaining halves of football I have ever seen. There is that word – entertaining. That’s all I am asking for.

But it wasn’t only entertaining, it was a pivotal point in franchise history. The Patriots won that game in overtime when Bledsoe hit his fullback, Kevin Turner, from 14 yards out in the left corner of the end zone. I can see it in my mind like it was yesterday. The Foxboro crowd went wild. Bledsoe’s teammates piled on him like it was a Super Bowl win.

The Patriots would not lose again in the regular season that year. They finished 10-6. They would get to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. They lost to Bill Belichick and the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs, but two years later Bledsoe and the Patriots would be in the Super Bowl.

So… play Drake Maye.

It can be argued Drake Maye is even more talented than Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe may have had a stronger arm, but Maye has the added benefit of more athleticism and an ability to run that Bledsoe, certainly, didn’t have. Maye can throw off platform a hundred times better than Bledsoe. Time may also prove that Maye has a higher football IQ than Bledsoe.

Continuing to play Brissett has no further benefits. We will learn nothing about this team if he continues as the starter. This season will be a complete waste.

Do I think the Patriots would rip off a six-game winning streak once Drake Maye gets his chance? Of course not. This season is not going to be measured by wins and losses. It is going to be measured by progress and improvement. This season is about building chemistry for the future. It is about building an identity.

This grind-it-out, run-first Alex Van Pelt offense is not the identity this team should have in two or three years. Drake Maye is not a game manager. His talent would be wasted. He does not need the running game to set up play action. His passing should be used to set up the run.

Let’s see if Drake Maye can make players around him better like Drew Bledsoe did in 1993 and 1994? Let’s see if Maye is capable of raising all the ships with him.

Let’s see if Maye can turn Ja’Lynn Polk into a 1000-yard season receiver like Bledsoe did with another rookie second round pick, Vincent Brisby? 

Can Maye get Pop Douglas the ball and then see what happens when he runs with it after the catch like Bledsoe did with an eight-round draft pick in Troy Brown? Troy Brown was a special teams specialist, similar to Matthew Slater, until Bledsoe made him into the first in a long line of Patriot great slot receivers.

How about Javon Baker? Could he become another Terry Glenn with Maye finding him deep down the field? Maybe it could be Kayshon Boutte. Let’s not forget about him.

And I’ll even throw this out there – can Maye make Jaheim Bell into a weapon on offense like Ben Coates became? Laugh if you will, but Coates was a fifth round pick who did nothing his first two seasons before Bledsoe came to town.

So let’s stop wasting time. The most difficult part of the Patriots’ schedule is now behind them. This is the sweet spot right here – four straight home games against Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, and the Jets followed by two winnable road games against Tennessee and Chicago.

Maybe Maye could rip off six straight wins at some point this year.

Play him now.