David Andrews: Drake Maye has a good grasp of the Patriots offense

On Wednesday's edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Patriots center David Andrews joined the show and explained why he's excited to see Drake Maye be QB1.

Marc Bertrand: 

For a young quarterback, what do you think Drake Maye does best? 

David Andrews: 

Oh man, I don't know. I've never really been in the business of evaluation. Maybe in a couple of years or something. I think, you know, he does a great job. I think he has a good grasp of the offense first of all. That's a huge part of that position, right? Because everything runs through you, whether it's... it might seem miniscule, but getting the play call right, getting everything set up first to even have a chance for a successful play. So that's a huge part of the battle. Whether it's the checks, all that, you know, that kind of processing before the play even unfolds. But you know, obviously, I think he's a very talented kid and we saw him really in the Washington game make some plays. So, you know, it's a great opportunity for him and I'm super excited for him. 

Tim McKone: 

Can that provide a spark inside the locker room? A quarterback change like that? 

David Andrews: 

Well, look, I mean the biggest thing for a spark is like everyone talks about energy and you know, juice, whatever it may be, right? But all that stuff is created off playing well, you know, and that's really what matters. I mean, hell you go out there, create a spark and then you don't execute well, that spark gets put out pretty fast. You know what I mean? So it really all comes down to execution and obviously that starts with our preparation this week and you know trying to have the best day tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, and going out there Sunday. I know he's got to be excited. He’s obviously very excited for the opportunity, you know getting a chance to start in the NFL, what a great opportunity. 

On Tuesday afternoon it was reported the New England Patriots plan on making a change at quarterback, going from veteran Jacoby Brissett to rookie third-overall pick Drake Maye. Maye is expected to take over this Sunday against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.

Of course, most of the focus this Sunday will be on Maye and his performance. He was drafted to lead the team back to its winning ways and be the future of the franchise, and while that won’t all happen in just one game fans are clearly eager for a look at the future.

At the same time though, the quarterback change doesn’t only impact Maye. For other members of the team, they may become more relied upon and/or the stakes of their performance may be raised. If Maye is the future of the franchise, those who work best with him will have the best chance of being a part of that future as well.

There are also those whose performance will now be more under a microscope, as it relates to Maye’s immediate development. Quarterback development is all about putting the QB in a position to succeed, and some members of the team will impact that more than others.

Which non-quarterbacks will suddenly find themselves with more of a spotlight with Maye taking over under center? Here are five individuals to watch…

Pop Douglas’ lack of involvement in the offense was a big story through the first month of the season. After a breakout rookie year in 2023 Douglas only has two games this year with more than three targets - including the Thursday night game against the Jets when it felt like the team was forcing him the ball rather than having him naturally produce in the larger context of the overall offense.

There were multiple instances over the first five weeks of Brissett missing opportunities with Douglas open. It just never looked like the two got on the same page.

With Maye, Douglas should have more opportunities. Maye is used to throwing to smaller, shifty slot receivers - he played with a very good one in college in current Indianapolis Colt Josh Downs. Maye even compared the two players during training camp this summer.

Playing behind this offensive line, Maye should be looking to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Douglas is the most logical target in that role. It wouldn’t be surprising to see his target share increase with Maye at quarterback, and we’ll see how the two work together. Ideally, this will become a key connection for the Patriots as they build their offense out long-term.

Tight ends, especially veteran tight ends, do usually end up being among the favorite targets of young quarterbacks. They usually run routes that are easy to find and are reliable at catching the ball through contact.

Hunter Henry has been plenty involved in the Patriots’ offense to this point - his 18 targets lead the team along with his 180 receiving yards. Reason stands Maye will look to him early and often as well.

There’s also a leadership element in play when it comes to Henry. With Brissett on the bench, he’ll be the only captain on the field when the Patriots are on offense. There will be more asked out of him leadership-wise as the part of what has suddenly become a very young unit.

Henry is the only offensive captain in the lineup because center David Andrews is out for the season due to a shoulder injury. With Andrews out, Nick Leverett is taking over, and made his first start last week.

In this offensive system, the center is tasked with making a lot of the pre-snap calls. With a veteran like Andrews, that seemed fitting. When Andrews went out last week though, some of those responsibilities went back to the veteran quarterback in Brissett.

Now both center and quarterback are younger players. Behind an offensive line that is already struggling in pass protection, Leverett will have a lot on his plate when it comes to helping Maye make sure the protections are set correctly pre-snap.

On top of that, Leverett’s blocking will also be in focus. Interior pressure can rattle any quarterback - especially a young quarterback - more quickly than pressure off the edge. Leverett struggled last week allowing 10 pressures against Miami. He’ll need to be better this week.

The best thing the Patriots can do to take pressure off of Maye? Run the damn ball.

Establishing the run won’t just keep opposing pass rushers off tempo, it also will allow the Patriots to stay on schedule and ahead of the chains. That will help keep Maye out of bad situations in terms of down and distance.

In order to have a truly reliable running game, the Patriots need to be able to rely on their star running back - Rhamondre Stevenson.

After fumbling in each of the Patriots’ first four games Stevenson began Week 5 on the bench. Once he got into the game he responded, carrying the ball 12 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. It was a step in the right direction, and the kind of performance that would be monumentally beneficial for Maye moving forward.

Finally the one non-player on our list - and arguably the one with the most on the line. This is where the test for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt really begins.

Maye’s mechanics noticeably improved from the time he was drafted to the end of training camp - a testament to the work he did with Van Pelt. But mechanical development is only the beginning of the story. Van Pelt now has to prove he can design and call an offense that makes the most of Maye’s skills.

Through the first month of the season, the Patriots ran a pretty textbook version of Van Pelt’s offense. How he’ll adjust it for Maye may be the biggest question heading into this first game.

One thing to watch for is the shotgun/under center split. Van Pelt traditionally uses more under center looks in order to get the most out of the play action concepts his offense is built on. That’s in contrast to Maye, who spent most of his college career in shotgun. Will the Patriots run more shotgun this week? Using pistol formations could be a way to marry the two concepts together.

Getting Maye’s legs involved will be another element of his game Van Pelt can take advantage of. That doesn’t have to be limited to designed quarterback runs, but should also include rollouts to get Maye away from pressure and throwing on the run.

Maye’s physical development isn’t going anywhere. He and Van Pelt have to be able to work together in-game. If they can’t, it’s not going to be the third-overall pick the team moves on from.