Bill Belichick Again Throws Shade at Patriots After Drake Maye Debut

Around New England, folks are still digesting the Patriots debut of No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye, the 22-year-old quarterback New England finally decided to trot out after five less-than-inspiring performances from Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett.

The numbers on Maye were good (20 for 33 passing, 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions), and his first touchdown pass of his career--a 40-yard strike to Kayshon Boutte late in the first half--gave an inkling of just what kind of deep-ball thrower he will be in the NFL.

Alas, there was the scoreboard: In the end, it was a 41-21 loss to Houston in Maye's debut.

And coach Bill Belichick, who has become something of a media mogul (a bizarre turn for a guy who was as media-unfriendly as a coach could be during his 24 years at the Patriots' helm) now that he's not coaching, had an opportunity to offer some praise to the new guy.

But Belichick is not big on complimenting his former employer. After Week 4's loss to the 49ers, Belichick said he had "no idea" what the Patriots were doing at quarterback, or whether Jerod Mayo, his successor, even had a plan.

Belichick, speaking on his "Coach" podcast with Matt Patricia and Michael Lombardi on Tuesday, declined to make much comment on Maye, as the topic of his debut quickly turned to the collapse of New England's defense.

"Quarterbacks don't play defense, sometimes people lose sight of that. They just play quarterback," Belichick said.

This came after an eye-opening moment on Monday, when Patriots coach Jerod Mayo threw some shade Belichick's way for the utter lack of talent Belichick had on the roster when he left the team after last season.

When he was asked about the reason for the lack of talent coming into the 2024 season on the " Greg Hill Show ," on WEEI in Boston, Mayo took a subtle dig at Belichick.

“You tell me,” Mayo said. “I’m not going there.”

Belichick, of course, was not just the coach, but also the top personnel man for the Patriots. The lack of talent at the end of last season can be put on him.

Now, that could be debated--the Patriots had oodles of cap space this offseason and could have made more moves to fill out the roster (a left tackle would have been a good idea)--but the wider point is there: A distinct frost still exists between Belichick and the Patriots.