Rob Gronkowski discusses controversial Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett decision

Tom Brady recently defended first-year New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo regarding Mayo's call to start veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett over rookie Drake Maye for this coming Sunday's regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals.

During a recent conversation with Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report, Patriots legend and current Fox Sports personality Rob Gronkowski discussed what became somewhat of a controversial decision made by Mayo.

"I think it was a great play to start Jacoby Brissett," Gronkowski explained. "Let Drake develop. Jacoby is a veteran. He knows how to handle situations that Drake wouldn't know how to handle, especially pressure coming off the edge and up the middle. The game can be fast for a rookie, and the supporting cast around Drake isn't that up to par either."

Others mentioned the last point made by Gronkowski long before Maye outperformed Brissett in preseason games. Specifically, multiple analysts have said that New England's offensive line isn't "fit for a promising rookie quarterback" and has '"so much uncertainty" at this stage of the franchise's rebuild.

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Patriots at +175 betting odds to win over 5.5 games this season.

"It's great to let (Maye) develop and let Jacoby handle blitzes and guys when they aren't blocked on the offensive line blunders that let someone free," Gronkowski continued. "But Drake Maye has a lot of potential. He's going to be the guy in the future."

Gronkowski acknowledged he doesn't know when that future will begin. While he thinks Maye could be given the keys to the offense "maybe halfway through the season," the future Hall of Famer noted that the Patriots "will struggle a little bit this year" regardless of who is under center.

New England's bye doesn't arrive until Week 14 in December. Whether or not ownership would let Mayo keep Maye an unused backup for a minimum of 13 games shall be seen , as Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf insisted this week that the organization will not let the first-year pro "collect dust for the year."

On Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed New England as an 8.5-point underdog for Sunday's matchup at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium.