Charlie Weis discussed his thoughts on Drake Maye’s first start with the Patriots

"Although he's inexperienced, his athleticism brings more opportunities."

Charlie Weis weighed in on Drake Maye: When it came to providing coaching support and early quarterback tutelage to Tom Brady, few people had a better vantage point than former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

Weis, who was the Patriots’ play-caller for five seasons at the start of Bill Belichick’s tenure in New England, was recently asked about what he thought of the team’s newest quarterback: Drake Maye.

He acknowledged that Maye showed promise.

“You have to say that he did enough in this game to be encouraged,” Weis explained, referencing that Maye threw three touchdown passes in the 41-21 defeat to the Texans.

Weis, who helped New England win three Super Bowls in four years, spoke plainly about where his former team currently is.

“I love the Patriots, but let’s face it, right now they’re offensive line isn’t very good. Their skill players leave a lot to be desired. So anyone coming in is already fighting an uphill battle,” he said.

“They were relatively conservative with him, which is the route to take,” added Weis. “But the surrounding team isn’t good enough to carry him right now. The fact that he threw three touchdown passes in his first effort out there gives you reason to be optimistic.”

One of the talking points in the lead-up to Maye’s first start was whether or not choosing the matchup against the Texans was really the best time to make the change at quarterback. Houston’s pass rush is one of the best in the league.

Weis took a practical line on the issue.

“There’s not really a perfect time,” he reasoned. “You’re going to wait for a team that has a crummy defense? Is that what you’re going to wait for, and figure ok that gives him the best chance of being successful?

“I think what the Patriots did — and I would’ve kept Jacoby in there too, but that’s not the point, they didn’t — I think what the Patriots did when they said, ‘Hey, look at it, we’re not scoring enough points to win games, Jacoby is a very good game-manager and a great leader for our team. But [Maye’s] got an extra element that he brings to the game. Although he’s inexperienced, his athleticism brings more opportunities.”

And on the subject of Jacoby Brissett, who Maye replaced as New England’s starter, Weis made sure to credit the 31-year-old veteran.

“One big reason why this could be a benefit, not a detriment, is because Jacoby is such a great team guy,” said Weis. “A lot of quarterbacks would be stewing in that situation right there. That’s not Jacoby. I’ve known Jacoby since he was a junior in high school. That’s not who he is, and that’s to the Patriots’ benefit.”

Scores and schedules:

The Celtics lost the preseason finale 119-118 to the Raptors on Tuesday night. Boston will now wait until Oct. 22 to open the regular season (and raise a banner) at TD Garden against the Knicks.

Tonight, the Bruins face the Avalanche in Colorado at 9:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

A tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau: The Blue Jackets paid tribute to the two brothers prior to Tuesday’s game.

On this day: In 1964, the Boston Patriots tied the Oakland Raiders 43-43 in a spectacular back-and-forth game from the AFL era. Patriots quarterback Babe Parilli threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns (along with four interceptions).

Daily highlight: Filip Gustavsson of the Wild scored the first goalie goal of the season in a 4-1 win over the Blues.

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.