Head coach Jerod Mayo highlighted how he won't be the sole person to choose the Patriots' starting quarterback, but he does know what he wants out of a signal-caller.
Mayo confirmed Friday that Jacoby Brissett will start in New England's preseason finale. Drake Maye also will get action as the quarterback competition remains alive. It's not clear what each QB needs to do to secure the starting job for Week 1, but Mayo cited what he looks for in a signal-caller.
"To me, the top two things are mental toughness and competitiveness. Those are two qualities that I really look at with quarterbacks," Mayo told reporters, per team-provided transcript. "I can't sit here and tell you, unless it's like a Philip Rivers release, where, 'Man, that release is kind of weird.' I don't get into the technical stuff. For me, evaluating a quarterback or any other player, but especially the quarterback, they have to be mentally tough, and they have to be able to bounce back from all the adversity that they're bound to see."
Mayo said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will help name a starting quarterback for Week 1. The coaching pair understood what Brissett brought to the table when he signed with New England, and Mayo revealed Maye's growth throughout practice that stood out to him.
"If you guys remember early on, he would throw interceptions and he would get so down on himself. I would say now, as we exit camp, he's done a lot better job being able to pull the nose up on the plane when it seems like it’s going down. I think that's an important quality."
Mayo didn't detail how much Brissett or Maye would play, but fans will keep a keen eye to see how much Sunday's preseason finale will factor into the coaching staff's decision for Week 1.
