Good morning, happy Sunday, and welcome back into another edition of ‘Patriots notes, quotes, & anecdotes’ – a weekly piece hitting on all of the happenings surrounding the New England Patriots.
Here we go:
— When can we expect Drake Maye to take over as New England’s starting quarterback?
The Patriots wrapped up the on-field portion of their 2024 offseason last Wednesday, and are now officially off as a unit until training camp begins in late July.
The main storyline, of course, will be when (if at all) rookie quarterback Drake Maye takes over for Jacoby Brissett as New England’s starter this season.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe gave an interesting opinion on the matter in his Monday practice notebook:
“He’ll almost certainly open training camp as Brissett’s backup,” Howe wrote of Maye. “But fans should focus more on the middle of August. If he can get into a rhythm by about the third week of camp and stack days together, especially in more competitive practices, the No. 3 overall pick will have a real shot to usurp Brissett.”
Maye certainly had an impressive spring, but to think he can take over as the starter prior to Week 1 may be wishful thinking. After the travesty that was the Mac Jones experience, the Patriots know they need to be very cautious with Maye. That’s exactly why they put a very detailed plan in place for his development that included the outside hiring of Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator and the signing of a veteran presence in Brissett to be a viable bridge in a slow and controlled rollout for Maye.
This may be hard to swallow for some — but New England doesn’t need to win in 2024. What they need to do is be absolutely certain that not only Maye, but the entire situation around him, is ready before they throw him to the wolves.
Patience. It’s a virtue.
— Leftover thoughts from Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction in Foxborough.
The Patriots knocked Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony out of the park. The red carpet, the panels, the musical acts. All of it. Just about perfect.
Was it a little too long? Perhaps. Did it stink sitting in game-day traffic on Rt. 1 on a Wednesday night? Sure did. But man was it worth it.
Arguably the two best parts of the night weren’t even in the script. As four of Tom Brady’s all-time favorite targets in Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman took the stage, Moss spoke first — highlighting the almost immediate connection he and Brady developed.
The Gillette Stadium crowd immediately erupted.
For two straight minutes, Moss was unable to get a word in as chants of “Randy! Randy! Randy!” poured in from tens of thousands of standing fans. A staple on the Patriots’ 2007 undefeated squad, the 47-year-old couldn’t hold his tears in:
The other best part? The crowd’s reaction to Bill Belichick. Though this one was less of a surprise, the 72-year-old took the stage ant Gillette and — much like Moss, was serenaded by the Foxborough faithful for what felt like 10 minutes.
Once finally able to get to it, the GOAT coach finished his speech with a powerful message for his former quarterback:
“Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me. And thank you for the model and example that you’ve set for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years.”
— Belichick thanks Patriots fans via Instagram.
Speaking of Belichick and his warm welcome last Wednesday, he actually took to social media (of all things) this weekend in order to express his gratitude:
“More humbled and appreciative for this touching moment than you’ll ever know,” Belichick wrote on Instagram via foundation. “Thank you, Patriots fans.”
It looks like the GOAT coach may begin taking up some more InstaChat and SnapFace in his post-coaching career.
— Can Kayshon Boutte make another summer roster push?
One Patriot who popped on the final day of minicamp last week was second-year wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Towards the end of Wednesday’s practice, Maye hit the former LSU Tiger for back-to-back-to-back touchdowns in the red zone. A slant, an out, and a fade gave him the three straight scores.
Boutte has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career. He came on strong last preseason throughout training camp and made the Patriots 53-man roster, however a failed toe-drag in New England’s Week 1 loss to the Eagles and an inability to contribute on special teams saw him active for just five games. He finished his rookie season with two catches for 19 yards.
Boutte also ran into some off-the-field trouble this offseason. Back in January, he was arrested in Baton Rouge in connection to an online gambling investigation. He is alleged to have placed over 8,000 wagers while underage. These wagers included “at least six” on LSU football games.
So can Boutte make the team? It’ll once again be an uphill climb. The Patriots have done a lot to re-work their wide receiver room this offseason, drafting Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker while signing (or re-signing) Kendrick Bourne, K.J. Osborn, and Jalen Reagor.
This doesn’t mean that Boutte can’t do enough over the month-plus training camp to warrant a conversation, but when guys like Reagor and Tyquan Thornton can also add special teams value, it makes the challenge that much tougher.
Another receiver note: It was reported that Baker, who was a limited participant in rookie minicamp, is dealing with a right hamstring strain. He was spotted wearing a sleeve on his right leg during the two practices.
— Roster moves:
The Patriots made the following roster moves this week:
- Claimed LB Steele Chambers
- Released LB Jay Person
Chambers, a 23-year-old rookie out of Ohio State, went undrafted in April but immediately signed with the Lions following the last round. He was waived on June 11. Chambers played running back for the Buckeyes for two years before transitioning to linebacker.
— Brissett on Maye’s progression ‘coming alive’:
We’ll close this one out on Jacoby Brissett being the consummate professional that he always is. He was asked last Monday about Drake Maye’s development as a quarterback:
“Every day he’s gotten better,” Brissett explained. “The good thing about it is not like, ‘Oh, I got it right now.’ And ‘I’m not thinking about…’ He’s just constantly trying to find ways to get better, making some nice throws out there, and you’re seeing his progression come alive.”
He continued:
“I think he’s doing a good job of… He’s been here for, what, three and a half weeks, a month? And he’s made tremendous strides, not only calling the plays, footwork, throwing the ball, and I guess his overall understanding of this offense.”
Thanks for reading! We’ll talk to ya next week.
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