Will Drake Maye excel? From Plunkett to Zappe, how Patriots QBs fared in starting debuts

Sooner or later, Drake Maye was going to emerge as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. GO DEEPER Drake Maye to get first career start as Patriots bench Brissett Neil Graff Sept. 21, 1975, Schaefer Stadium: A footnote in Patriots history, Graf made two starts near the end of Plunkett’s Patriots tenure and just before Steve Grogan would emerge as the team’s quarterback for most of the next 16 seasons. GO DEEPER Erratic Patriots looked unprepared to rally vs. Dolphins, and that’s on the coach Steve Grogan Nov. 2, 1975, Busch Stadium: After seeing limited action in the first three games of his rookie season, Grogan was pressed into service on Oct. 26 against the 49ers when Plunkett went out in the first quarter with another shoulder injury. Tom Ramsey Nov. 22, 1987, Sullivan Stadium: A backup quarterback for a team that was beginning a slow fade after its dramatic run to the Super Bowl just two years earlier, Ramsey got his first NFL start in place of the injured Grogan and went 12-for-26 for 183 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 24-0 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The aftermath: Ramsey made two more starts that season, including three touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown in New England’s 34-31 loss to the Eagles a week later, but the Pats failed to make the playoffs.