Patriots
Ninkovich concurred with Jerod Mayo in protecting the “mental side of a young quarterback.”
In the ongoing debate over which Patriots quarterback should get the start, a former New England Super Bowl winner is advising caution.
Rob Ninkovich, 40, was a Patriots linebacker from 2009 until his retirement prior to the 2017 season. He helped New England win two championships (including Super Bowl LI, the final game of his career).
As he examines his former team’s current quarterback predicament — whether to start veteran Jacoby Brissett or rookie first-round pick Drake Maye — Ninkovich cited some stats. Speaking during a Wednesday morning appearance on the “Greg Hill Show,” he defended Patriots coach Jerod Mayo’s decision to stick with Brissett.
Through four games, Brissett (despite his lack of production in the offense), has still achieved a higher quarterback rating than several rookie quarterbacks across the league. This has occurred despite injuries (which have only added to the Patriots’ issues).
Beyond the short term considerations, Ninkovich’s larger point was that rushing a rookie to play before they’re ready could have disastrous consequences.
“The mental side of going in there when you’re a young guy — and you’re trying to learn an offense and get the timing down, and you’re running for your life, and you don’t have a chance to set your feet up and throw a perfect pass — that can mess you up,” said Ninkovich. “With confidence, with learning how to play in the NFL.”
One specific example of this trend was for a “potential Sam Darnold situation,” in which a team discards its former top pick too early.
A crucial part of the team’s plan was something Ninkovich also touched on.
“You have to protect your investment. Not for this year, and I talked about this, patience. Everyone needs to be patient,” he said. “This isn’t a snap your finger and we’re back in the playoffs [situation].
“And I know New England Patriots fans are spoiled,” he added, jokingly. “They booed us at halftime when we were winning Super Bowls. I get it, you want to win right now. But this isn’t a new car lease, where you turn it in and get a new car, or a cellphone that you turn in every two years. It’s takes a little bit of time.”
Ninkovich also pointed out that his determination regarding Maye is not about the rookie’s physical talent.
“So I think at the moment right now, you’ve still got to make sure that you protect the mental side of a young quarterback. It’s nothing to do with the physical side.”
When would he play Maye?
“I don’t think I’d sit him all season,” Ninkovich explained. “I’d make sure that if he is going to touch the field, we’re not having him in situations where other teams are pinning their ears back.”
Counter to the usual logic of playing inexperienced players at the end of games that are effectively already decided, he advised an unorthodox approach.
“If he does enter the game, I’d rather see him at the start of the game than coming in at the end,” said Ninkovich. He cited his experience as a defender.
“At the end of the game, when defenses are up and they know they’re going to win the football game, they don’t care about the run. They’re just trying to get to the quarterback. That’s money. They’re just trying to make money.”
Pressed on how much experience he’d like to see Maye get, Ninkovich finally offered a “six to eight game” projection. Given that, he could see the young QB getting into start by Week 9.
But when asked to explain what will be different — or any better — about the team’s troubled offensive line situation in a month vs. currently, Ninkovich acknowledged that neither he (nor his fellow media colleagues) have all the answers.
“Good thing we’re not the head coach.”
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