Jacoby Brissett deserves better from Patriots | Chris Mason

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jacoby Brissett shrugged his shoulders as he answered the ultimate query of his press convention within the bowels of MetLife Stadium on Thursday evening.

The veteran quarterback had simply spoken of the respect he has for an offensive line that allowed him to get hit 10 instances, sacked 5, and pressured consistently in a 24-3 loss to the Jets, and Brissett was then requested about Jerod Mayo’s feedback from minutes earlier. The Patriots coach mentioned he didn’t know who his quarterback could be subsequent week in San Francisco.

“That’s —,” Brissett paused. “I’m not going to overreact to one thing that I didn’t hear.”

Brissett has accomplished nearly every part proper since coming again to New England. He’s mentored and cheered Drake Maye as he competed towards him, he’s served as a punching bag behind a porous offensive line, and his teammates respect him a lot that he was voted a captain regardless of a one-year placeholder deal.

“That’s a soldier proper there,” DeMario Douglas mentioned. “Taking hits and getting up, he’s going on the market fired up. That’s the definition of a soldier proper there. They stand up they usually push by way of the arduous instances.”

After the one-sided loss to the Jets, Mayo had been noncommittal on his quarterback for Week 4 following Drake Maye’s late fourth quarter NFL debut.

“I don’t know,” Mayo mentioned. “We speak about it each single week that you simply’re competing for a job so, we’ll get collectively as a training workers and see the place it goes.”

In that second standing behind the lectern after a hard-fought loss, Brissett deserved higher. After all of the yo-yoing on quarterback messaging over the summer time, this was one other curveball. And it’s solely Week 3. If Mayo is actually contemplating benching Brissett in favor of Maye, it’d be tactless to let the quarterback hear that from a media member and never his coach. It’d be silly, too.

Although Maye moved the ball downfield throughout his drive with the Jets bench emptied, there wasn’t something to recommend he needs to be the beginning quarterback instantly. It was a combined bag. Maye’s first snap may’ve been a pick-six and he missed an open throw. He additionally had a pair beauties to Douglas and transformed a fourth down together with his legs. There was good and dangerous, however Maye wants extra seasoning. Although a small pattern measurement, he regarded very very similar to the high-ceiling, low-floor prospect he was billed as.

Maye remains to be studying from watching Brissett on sport day, too, and shared the strongest lesson he’s gotten from his teammate up to now.

“How you can put together,” Maye mentioned. “There’s so many alternative seems groups can deliver. The Jets combined it up on the primary 4 or 5 third downs, combined up the protection. So simply being ready and going by way of every play. Virtually how one can by no means put together sufficient. He’s going by way of right here the previous few seconds earlier than he goes out to the sphere, he’s going over the script and little issues like that.”

As importantly as something, Maye took a beating similar to Brissett. The rookie was hit 5 instances in 10 dropbacks, they usually have been violent pictures coming from the Jets; New England’s go safety didn’t magically enhance when Maye entered the sport.

If the Patriots need the 22-year-old to develop correctly, he can’t do it what that type of strain. Carolina simply pulled the ripcord on No. 1 total decide Bryce Younger after 18 video games and it’s not a coincidence that he was sacked a whopping 62 instances as a rookie. That is what Brissett was signed to do: Take among the punches till the offensive line stabilizes so the rookie doesn’t should, and proceed to assist him develop alongside the way in which.

“I’m huge man, I can take it,” Brissett mentioned of Thursday’s hits. “I’m all the time going to get again up. That’s one factor about me. I’m all the time going to get again up and discover methods to make performs, man, that’s what it comes right down to. It’s soccer.”

Although his job could also be in jeopardy, Brissett mentioned he nonetheless believes he’ll be New England’s starter.

“In fact,” Brissett mentioned. “I imply, I don’t make personnel selections. My job is to go on the market, get able to play, put good soccer on tape and put my finest foot ahead.”

How for much longer that continues to be Brissett’s job is up within the air, however within the Meadowlands, he deserved higher each on and off the sphere.