When it comes to the issue of whether to play or sit rookie quarterbacks, Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells has seen it all. He nursed Drew Bledsoe through his rookie year with the Patriots, and he faced the issue multiple times while winning championships with the New York Giants.
Which is why it matters that Parcells took the time to weigh in on the issue of playing current Pats rookie Drake Maye in an extensive interview with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy. Nearly all of his thoughts were illuminating, so let's parse some of what he had to say to get some insights about this year's New England version of the problem
From the obvious to the insightful
Parcells' first quote was at least somewhat obvious, but it did get to the heart of the issue: "Fans always want to see what's new, particularly if you're losing games," he began.
But the Tuna also has a personal connection to this year's Patriots QB battle. He mentored veteran placeholder QB Jacoby Brissett back when Brissett was a 15-year-old growing up in Florida, so he has strong feelings about playing guys like Maye too soon.
"Fans never consider the psychological makeup of the player you're getting ready to throw to the wolves," he explained. "What you really have to judge is the timing and the chance to succeed. Sometimes if you don't succeed, it destroys them."
One of the keys to getting it right, he added, is asking the right questions. "What kind of temperament [does he have?] How does he respond to negative plays or hard coaching?"
The mental toughness issue
Parcells also knows that fans want to see mental toughness from their shiny new quarterbacks, including the ability to bounce back from bad performances. But there's also a business side of this equation.
"Economically, these days, it's not in your best interest if he doesn't succeed," he added. "It's bad if you have a lot of expense and no production."
The poster child for good quarterbacks who go bad because they get beaten up is David Carr, who was sacked 76 times with 9 picks during his rookie year for the Texans in 2002. Parcells cited Carr as a perfect example of what not to do with a young quarterback, but he said the best kind of young QB to have is a guy like Drew Bledsoe.
"Drew got there the fastest with me," he explained. "I thought he was ready pretty early because he had played in the Pac-12 throwing the ball a lot. You just had to prepare him situationally because he was a shootout kind of guy at Washington State."
The backup part of the QB equation
Parcells also mentioned the issue of having a competent backup to make the initial decision easier. He didn't exactly come out and say it, but if you read between the lines his support for Brissett as the day one starter came through loud and clear.
He also had some interesting comments from his Dallas days with current CBS analyst Tony Romo.
"We immediately liked Romo, but he was a gunslinger," he stated. "He didn't think about taking care of the ball that much, he just knew how to score. That's OK. But if I'd put him in right away, I don't think he would have been successful. There's a lot that goes into a decision like this."
The Tuna's final answer on Drake Maye
So where did Parcells ultimately land on the Drake Maye decision? Most of his comments leaned toward sitting Maye for a bit, but he offered a classic Bill Parcells cocky non-answer when he was asked to offer advice for Patriots fans about whether Maye should be thrown into the fray right away.
"I don't have any advice for New England fans," he concluded. "I'm too smart to give them advice."