Bill Simmons put Patriots coach Jerod Mayo on blast Monday over comments made over the performances of quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett, questioning the “upside” of tipping one’s hand as major decisions at the position still loom.
Shortly after Mayo’s radio appearance on “The Greg Hill Show” Monday morning, when he stated, “I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby,” Simmons called out the first-year coach on X as the franchise is now fully engulfed in a quarterback controversy entering the season.
“Mayo doesn’t seem to understand how press conferences work. There’s ZERO upside to actually admitting out loud that Maye has outplayed Brissett so far. So now what? You’re gonna start a rookie QB in Week 1 behind the worst Pats O-Line since the Plunkett era? Franchise is a mess,” the Ringer founder posted.
Maye, the third overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, has had a solid preseason, completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 192 yards and a touchdown.
The offensive line, however, has not and remains a stark concern following a penalty-filled preseason finale loss to the Commanders on Sunday that also saw Brissett exit with a shoulder injury.
Mayo said Monday on “The Greg Hill Show” that the offensive line is “continuing to try to gel,” and that “you want the quarterback to feel comfortable back there no matter who it is.”
Simmons has repeatedly mentioned the offensive line as a significant concern on podcasts.
The flashes Maye has shown this preseason have only added to the conversation of whether the Patriots should start the former North Carolina star or veteran Brissett, who has struggled this preseason after being the presumed starter for much of the offseason.
“We have to take in the full body of work going all the way back to the spring and the beginning of training camp. We’ll see where we end up, but those are the conversations that will happen here over the next couple of days,” said Mayo, who, on Sunday, called Maye the team’s “second-best quarterback on our roster right now.”
Another wrinkle in the Patriots’ season-opening plans could be how Brissett, 31, is feeling physically after taking a hit on Sunday.
“I talked to him. We’ll see tomorrow. You always feel a little bit more sore the next day, but he said he was good. We’ll find out tomorrow,” Mayo said postgame.
Brissett is in his second stint with the Patriots after beginning his NFL career in New England in 2016 as a third-round draft pick.
He then bounced around the league, spending time with the Colts, Dolphins, Browns and Commanders before teaming up with the Patriots again in March.
Mayo said personnel will look at Brissett’s experience in the league when deciding who will be the starter, which is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
“I would also say often times we forget about just the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has which will also be weighted in the decision that we have to make here in the near future. But I’m happy with the way these guys are battling it out,” Mayo said, per Mass Live.
As for Boston fan Simmons, Monday’s gripe about Mayo isn’t the first time he has called out the team this year, previously lambasting the Patriots as “cheap” amid a quiet free agency.
The Patriots open the season on the road in Cincinnati against the Bengals on Sept. 8.