FOXBORO, Mass. — Thursday night offered the six-completion, 47-yard quarterback performance that Patriots fans were waiting for.
The bar for Drake Maye was low entering New England’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But the third-overall pick cleared it while providing a two-quarter glimpse at his huge potential.
Maye’s been unimpressive, indecisive, and overly conservative — perhaps by design — in most offseason practices open to reporters. And though some of those flaws popped up in Thursday’s 14-13 loss to the Eagles, Maye also pushed the ball downfield, made multiple great throws, and ran for a 4-yard touchdown.
Let’s get into everything Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said about Maye’s encouraging performance.
Jerod Mayo Breaks Down Drake Maye’s Second Preseason Game
Mayo first was asked about Maye’s touchdown-scoring drive late in the first half.
“He had great composure,” Mayo said. “I thought it was a good drive. I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things. Hopefully, he can build on that, and we’ll see how this week goes.”
Maye’s transition to the NFL hasn’t gone smoothly. He didn’t run a pro-style offense at UNC and is now being asked to learn a very different NFL West Coast offense.
However, on Thursday, the Patriots had Maye do some of the things he did in college, such as lining up in shotgun, empty, and zone-read situations.
“It’s very important to do those things,” Mayo said. “Like you said, he did it in college. And the problem is from college to here is just the language. Once you can start to link the language that you learned in college to the language you’re learning right now, the game becomes a little bit easier from an Xs and Os perspective.
“I look forward to seeing how he builds off of today. But he did a lot of good things.”
Jerod Mayo Live Postgame Press Conference: https://t.co/0UAGheFfBJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2024
Maye took 24 snaps against the Eagles after seeing just seven snaps last week against the Carolina Panthers. So, why the change?
“That was always the plan, kind of what I told you guys last week,” Mayo said. “That was always the plan to play him more. It was the plan to play him in the third quarter so we can go through some of those adjustments and see if he can handle that stuff. And he did.”
Maye has been under immense pressure both on and off the field. He’s being asked to resurrect a franchise mired in a post-Tom Brady rebuild and also trying to develop behind a patchwork offensive line that struggled again on Thursday.
The rookie’s taken it all in stride, according to Mayo.
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“One of the reasons we drafted Drake was, through the interview process, you could kind of tell this was an even-keeled guy,” Mayo said. “I think you guys can probably see it from the stands. This guy doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He was like that in college. He was probably like that as a kid.
“He remains that way now, which is a good thing for a quarterback. Those guys, they have to maintain their composure and get the call to the huddle and get those guys out of the huddle, get them ready to go. He’s always been like that in my mind.”
Patriots fans shouldn’t get carried away. Maye played well on Thursday, but he played just two quarters and was going against Philly’s backups. He still has a long way to go.
Nevertheless, fans finally have reason to feel good about Maye’s development.
How Maye Felt About His Performance
Let’s look at some key quotes from Maye’s postgame presser.
On his TD celebration: “I didn’t really plan on rushing one, I probably should have thought of [a celebration]. Usually, in college I would do the finger roll, but I was just happy to get in the end zone and score points. It was fun to get out there. I’m glad the weather held off. Other than that, I thought the guys did a good job.”
On breaking down the game film: “I think it’s an awesome opportunity. I think there are definitely things I can clean up. I had some good things, had some bad plays: dropped snaps — inexcusable from me. Other than that, sometimes I felt I was scrambling when I could sit in there, hang on, and try to make a throw.”
Drake Maye Live Postgame Press Conference: https://t.co/u7rrm6h8HJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2024
On his confidence level: “I think every time you get out there, you get more and more confident. First off, it’s always going to be the nerves, getting out and running out there the first time. But other than that, more reps are only going to help me. At the end of the day, I’m just fortunate to be able to get out there, get some reps, and make the most of my opportunities.”
On having other Patriots rookies on the field for his first TD: “It was an awesome moment. We spent a lot of time here, in the rookie meetings in the spring, it was just us. It was definitely cool having those guys out there. I think the first thing I did was chest bump [Ja’Lynn Polk]. So, it was cool to get there with guys in the same spot, going through the same things. It was a fun time for us and a moment I’ll never forget.”
On his in-game composure: “My job as a quarterback is not to get rattled; to stay cool, calm, and collected, especially on the sideline. I tend to throw my helmet or something. Moping like that can go a long way with your guys and how they are feeling and setting the tone.
“I try to stay cool and calm, but I probably need to get more excited when good things happen. My parents always get on me, saying I need to get excited when good things happen. At the same time, you can’t just ride the highs and can’t get too down low.”
Could Maye’s Performance Change the Patriots’ QB Competition?
In all likelihood, Jacoby Brissett will be New England’s Week 1 starter. He’s been the better quarterback during training camp, and it hasn’t been close. The veteran has been far more consistent than Maye during situational team drills and has seen all the practice reps with the top offensive line.
With that said, Brissett is on a cold streak. He struggled last week against the Panthers, struggled in Tuesday’s joint practice against the Eagles, and was terrible on Thursday night.
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Brissett three of seven passes for just 17 yards to go along with an interception. He also nearly threw another pick and didn’t play with much poise. If the Patriots’ QB competition now is closer than it was a week ago, it would be due more to Brissett’s struggles than Maye’s slight improvement.
Still, Maye can’t gain meaningful ground on Brissett until he starts practicing with the top O-line. To that end, Mayo might’ve tipped his hand when asked whether the line’s struggles could be an “impediment” to putting Maye in a position to usurp Brissett.
“For me, we always talk about competition, and that’s at all spots,” Mayo said. “So, even if Drake beats out Jacoby, I mean, he earned that role. And we don’t really take that into consideration.
“When he’s ready to go, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
Mayo finished with a note on the O-line, which was dreadful in the joint practice and just as bad in the preseason game.
“There were definitely some ups and some downs,” Mayo said. “I would say there’s a dramatic drop-off, not really physically, but just knowing what to do between the first line and the second and third guys. They have to get better as a whole, as a unit. They just have to get better, and that comes from playing football games.”
So, could Maye rep with the top O-line when the Patriots return to practice on Saturday? We’ll just have to wait and see.
But if that happens, we might actually have a QB competition to talk about.
