When the New England Patriots defeated the Panthers last week in a preseason game 17-3, the bigger story was the starting quarterback job for the Pats.

Joe Milton III, the rookie out of Tennessee hit a 37-yard touchdown throw to JaQuae Jackson in the fourth quarter to up the lead 17-0. Milton, was the sixth pick in the draft, but it’s been his athleticism with his arm and legs that have wowed fans during this training camp and the preseason. Some may speculate that their first round draft pick out of North Carolina, Drake Maye, might not start this season. I don’t think that should be in question… yet.

Now of course there’s still Jacoby Brissett in the race for the starting job under snap. The NFL veteran has been in New England before, has been a starting quarterback for other teams and certainly has experience, but he’s more of a safety net for right now.

With that said, it’s not like Maye has exactly made a lasting first impression for New Englanders. Against the Panthers he made some solid throws, not big mistakes except for taking a sack way in the backfield. However, there hasn’t been a spark or anything special/eye-popping from Maye as of yet, which was expected. Maye is nearly Mac Jones 2.0, a guy with limited speed, can make the right decision for the most part, but isn’t ever going to bail an offense out when things go bad. He’ll work right in a good system. It’s also worth noting that the game was in the rain, so the Pats elected to run the ball when Maye was in.

It’s understandable for fans to get hyped up about Milton. He’s 6’5 (Maye is 6’4), can escape pressure, and throw darts down the field. However, against the Panthers he did make some passes that could be deemed as inaccurate at times. His athleticism seems to be heavily relied on as he can improvise when a play breaks down. under the Bill Belichick era that may have been a problem, but under new head coach Jerod Mayo, it may work.

Although New England fans have been on the fortunate side of backups coming in and becoming stars (Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe), folks should also keep in mind the Bailey Zappe debacle this past season. Zappe is still on the roster, but probably on the bottom of the totem pole for making the roster. But then again, you never know.