DHL Dan CCXX - The Heat Is On

After Thursday's preseason game with the Philadelphis Eagles, Shank points out the obvious - that New England Patriots' top rookie quaterback played fairly well (and a whole lot more then in six snaps the previous game) and it might be decision time in Foxborough:

There is going to be a lot of pressure — and soon — for the Patriots to play Drake Maye, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while reminding you that the King of Rock and Roll (Elvis Presley, 1977), the Queen of Soul (Aretha Franklin, 2018), and the Sultan of Swat (Babe Ruth, 1948) all died on Aug. 16 …

▪ Welcome to the 2024 New England Patriots, also known as “Tomato Cans R Us.”

This is Season 5 of Life After Brady and Season 1 of Life Without Bill. The Patriots are projected as NFL bottom-feeders, and it’s pretty obvious there’s going to be a lot of noise about Drake Maye between now and January.

Maye, the anointed franchise quarterback, got his first meaningful snaps of the preseason in Thursday’s 14-13 loss to the Eagles, and it gave desperate New England fans something to get excited about.

After leaving Maye on the shelf for all but seven plays of the first consumer-fraud exhibition against the Panthers (every other 2024 first-round quarterback got meaningful minutes in Week 1 of the preseason), New England’s rookie head coach, Jerod Mayo, let the 21-year-old Maye play two quarters against Philly, and it made us want to see more.

“Tomato Cans R Us” - is this the schtick Shank's gonna roll with all season? Stay tuned!