The New England Patriots have a great tradition of winning. Since the turn of the millennium, no team in all of sports has been as dominant as the Patriots. Six Super Bowl wins, and nine appearances in the big game since 2000. Everything the New England Patriots have touched seemed to turn to gold. However, since legendary quarterback Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay the New England Patriots have been in a free-fall. How will they fare this season?
The New England Patriots Draft Night Nightmare
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After pulling the plug on the former No. 10 overall pick Mac Jones and sending him to Jacksonville the New England Patriots drafted the next quarterback with the number three overall pick Drake Maye, passing on destined superstar Marvin Harrison Jr. The Patriots have shown a glaring weakness in drafting wide receivers never drafting a Pro Bowl wide receiver since 1996 Terry Glenn, when Bill Parcells was the Head Coach.
To make matters worse in training camp Maye has been underperforming, failing to score a touchdown in red zone drills. Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Joe Milton from Tennessee has outperformed his rookie teammate. National Radio Host Colin Cowherd has made a wild prediction based on the information he has been given.
Sixth Round Quarterback Part II?
Colin Cowherd has hinted that Joe Milton will win the QB1 job. Milton is a 6’5” 235-pound athletic powerhouse with a strong arm. Cowherd said on his radio show:
“The sixth-round quarterback Joe Milton is probably going to win the job because he’s the better athlete, he’s the bigger, stronger, faster more dynamic athlete, And they don’t have any at tight end, wide receiver, or running back. So when I read this story, my take is, yeah Joe Milton will make plays. Listen, Kirk Cousins and RGIII got drafted back in 2012 got drafted by Washington. And they figured out by year two that Cousins is the guy.”
Cowherd isn’t the only person in the media hinting at a shocking outcome in the Patriots quarterback battle. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin wrote an article making a strong case for the former Michigan and Tennessee quarterback. Volin was at Patriots practices and he said:
“Maye is running second on the depth chart and getting a ton of work, but he hasn’t made many noteworthy throws. He was the only quarterback not to throw a touchdown pass in a red zone drill Tuesday, while Milton, in limited reps, threw touchdowns on consecutive plays.
“Milton wows the crowd every day with his tantalizing arm and standing backflips. After Maye struggled in the red zone”
This would not be the first time a sixth-round pick gets the nod over a first-round pick with the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was picked 199 in the 2000 draft and took the starting job under center from the 1993 top overall pick Drew Bledsoe. Could Milton be the savior or at minimum the centerpiece for the abysmal New England Patriots offense?
The Playstyle
Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt has run a bunch of different playbooks. Van Pelt has spent the last four seasons in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski. Van Pelt has worked with quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Can Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt admit they made a mistake with the pick of Maye, much like Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III in Washington?
The Patriots do not have a playmaker on offense, the number one wide receiver is a multi-man battle with none of them being a number one on any other team. Milton has the opportunity and ability to be electrifying. If Milton continues to outshine Maye in training camp it will be impossible to justify starting Maye over Milton.
