How Drake Maye has handled his first up-and-down week in the NFL
The first full week of training camp was a roller coaster for Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. On Friday, Maye shared his thoughts on his performance.
The Patriots’ first full week of training camp certainly seemed like a ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment for rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The four practices from Monday to Friday were a roller coaster for the third overall pick.
Maye’s first two padded practices of his first NFL camp were on Monday and Tuesday, and the growing pains were apparent. He completed six of his 16 passes in 11-on-11 drills and struggled with accuracy in other periods as well.
A day off on Wednesday appeared to be the reset Maye needed though. When the team returned on Thursday they started focusing more on red zone work – typically a bigger challenge for young quarterbacks given the lack of room and quicker-developing plays. Maye rose to the occasion though, completing five of his six 11-on-11 passes with a couple of highlight throws.
More importantly, he was able to carry that momentum over to Friday. With the pads back on Maye looked comfortable in red zone work once again. There was nothing flashy as he went 7-of-9 but it was another solid building day – which is always good to see from a young quarterback.
Following Friday’s practice, Maye was asked how he was able to bounce back from the slow start to the week. “Just learn from it,” he said. “Just not make the same mistake over and over.”
“I think I made some nice throws. I feel like I’m throwing the football well. Still little things that I could do better,” Maye said talking about his Friday performance specifically. “Trying to take it day by day, but I feel like I’m throwing it around pretty well.”
“I think as training camp goes on – as a rookie in here, just try to get better each and every day,” Maye added when asked if he’s getting more comfortable. “Our defense does a good job over and over of making it tough. For me, I’m just trying to make the right plays.
On top of that, Maye mentioned that to start the week the offense was working on third-and-long situations – putting more on the quarterback’s plate. “You come out here on Monday, first day in pads, we do third and long. Third and long in the NFL is tough. Our defense does a good job on third and long, and it’s tough on the offense. But at the same time, watching the little things and focusing on the little things. That’s what this position is. Being the quarterback, you’ve gotta do the little things right.”
WATCH: Barth & Callahan react to Drake Maye’s week
That part about ‘doing the little things’ was echoed by the veteran in the quarterback room, Jacoby Brissett.
“Keep going man. It’s a long training camp,” Brissett told reporters on Friday, when asked his message for Maye. “I think the best thing that he’s doing is putting one foot in front of the other. Going back out there and going out there competing. The plays are going to make themselves. It’s just about doing a little things day in and day out that’s gonna give you a chance to make the right play.”
Maye will look to continue stacking days on Saturday, when Patriots training camp resumes. He’s also now less than a week away from his first NFL game action, with the Patriots’ preseason opener coming up on Thursday.
