FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that the team is turning to rookie quarterback Drake Maye for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.
"Drake gives us the best chance to win, now and going forward," Mayo said Wednesday. "He's been getting better every single week, and as I said before, at the end of training camp he was trending at a very high rate. That has continued through the early part of the season."
Mayo said it was "solely my decision" to go with Maye over nine-year veteran Jacoby Brissett -- whom he saluted for his toughness and leadership -- while adding that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was "fully on board."
As for Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft, he said he anticipated feeling some nerves around kickoff before settling down and reminding himself to have fun.
"You don't want to make the spotlight too big," Maye said Wednesday. "I think it's a great opportunity, something you dream of -- getting your first start in the NFL. I'm excited to get out with their guys, take advantage of having the full week to get prepared, and put my best foot forward and help the team win."
Maye felt he benefited from being on the sideline through the first five games of the season and following Brissett's lead on what it means to be an NFL quarterback.
"He's the ideal teammate," Maye said of Brissett. "I think the biggest thing is you hate it for him. Jacoby fought his butt off, got up every time he was hit. Not only that, he kept that mindset of 'next play.' You see him on the sideline and the positive vibes he brought to this team and will still bring to this team. He's a great mentor and great friend."
As for what led to the change, Mayo said it was no secret that the offense -- which has started five different offensive line combinations in five weeks and has the least-productive wide receiving corps in the NFL -- hasn't been performing well over the last three games.
The Patriots have lost four games in a row after a 16-10 upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on opening weekend and rank 31st in points scored (12.4 avg.) and last in passing yards per game (119.4 avg.).
At the same time, he acknowledged that Brissett was the right choice to open the season as the No. 1 quarterback.
"I say it all the time, 'It's all about competition' at every single position. As a coach, and I know the organization feels THIS way, we're trying to win every game and at the time we felt Jacoby would give us the best chance to go out and win games - protecting the football, really running the offense," Mayo said.
"He was a warrior. He had taken a lot of hits and kept getting back up. I would also say, for a guy like that to be voted as a captain in this situation and continue to be very supportive of Drake Maye, I tip my hat to Jacoby for having that egoless mentality."