Drake Maye, Patriots weapons react to quarterback change in New England
Drake Maye and the Patriots’ pass-catchers offered their reactions to the big decision to start the rookie against the Texans.
The Patriots’ season has deteriorated to the point that their only hope of a turnaround was to make a change at quarterback, and a relatively risky change at that. Enter Drake Maye.
Is it a little soon? Probably. Was the plan for Maye “expedited” in the wake of a painful 15-10 home loss to the lowly Dolphins? Seems like it, although head coach Jerod Mayo denied it in his Wednesday press conference. But the reality is that Jacoby Brissett’s performance has steadily regressed since a promising season-opening win, and Maye was going to go in eventually. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft wasn’t going to sit his entire rookie season.
So, now that Brissett went out and took the beating against the Jets and 49ers and Dolphins, and Maye got an extra five weeks to develop behind the scenes, and the Patriots have slid to 1-4 with their season rapidly slipping away, the rookie’s time has come. Going forward, the skeptics and cynics will have to hold their breath in hopes that Maye is not ruined by what is an unfavorable, if not straight up bad, situation around him.
That being said … there’s a glimmer of hope for said situation. The Patriots offensive line showed signs of improvement last Sunday, and no one got hurt, so there’s a chance for week-to-week continuity for the first time all season. They scratched out a season-high in yards through the air with a new pecking order at wide receiver. It’s possible that they’re graduating to a level that’s serviceable enough for the dynamic rookie to make it work.
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“I think the biggest thing is me playing on time, playing in rhythm, and trusting the guys around me,” Maye said Wednesday, in his first press conference as the Pats’ starting quarterback. “I think the game plan is not going to change. I think obviously you got a rookie quarterback going out there, but at the same time, what we do on offense is what we do on offense. So, not trying to give too many hints towards game plan. We got a game to play Sunday, but just looking forward to it.”
As one would expect, it wasn’t just Maye who was asked about the new era kicking off in New England, but the guys who could be catching balls from him on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Based on the young receivers’ demonstrative reactions to the team’s offensive problems in recent weeks, there’s no question they’re excited to take the field with Maye going forward.
“Great player,” said rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, on Maye. “I’m looking forward to just going out there and practicing and getting this win this weekend.”
“I’m trying to get in the end zone and score and get a dub,” said DeMario “Pop” Douglas, when asked his expectations for Sunday.
The veterans in the room have taken a more measured, big-picture look at Maye’s development, from a raw, toolsy rookie out of North Carolina to a sudden NFL starter nearly midway through his first season. The confidence isn’t lost on them, either, but as players who have grown and developed themselves over their careers, they’ve looked at Maye’s own development through that lens.
“[I’ve seen] growth. He’s poised,” said receiver Kendrick Bourne, who made his return from an ACL injury last Sunday. “I think he’s really confident, and that’s what I like to see. When we do walkthroughs and things like that, he sounds confident, he feels confident, in the huddle he seems confident. That’s what we need. He’s our new leader and that’s who we’re following, so I just think confidence is the biggest thing.”
“[Maye’s] just taking feedback, just coming out each and every day, just continuing to build on and focus on what he needs to focus on,” said running back Antonio Gibson, when asked what he’s seen from Maye’s growth. “Not just taking it for granted being back there on the practice squad, getting the reps with the practice squad, but he competes, and he looks good.”
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Confidence and competitiveness are good signs. We’ve already seen the arm, the mobility. But a true franchise quarterback marries the tangible with the intangible. Realistically, we’re a long way away from finding out if Maye can put that all together and be the franchise savior the Patriots so desperately need right now.
“Going forward, I think now, Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo said Wednesday. “He’s been getting better every single week, as I’ve said before. At the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate. That has continued through the early part of the season.”
Frankly, it’s probably going to be far less than perfect out of the gate, and many will be holding their breath that Maye’s debut doesn’t prove to be too rushed.
But Maye’s presence on the field gives his teammates, this organization, this region something they have sorely lacked in nearly five years since Tom Brady’s departure.
Hope.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
5 Patriots most impacted by the QB switch to Drake Maye
Pop Douglas
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.
Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) warms up before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Hunter Henry
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 19: Hunter Henry #85 of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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.
Nick Leverett
August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots guard Nick Leverett (51) protects the line against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
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.
Rhamondre Stevenson
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 15: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots reacts during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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.
Alex Van Pelt
August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt works on the sideline during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
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.
