Mike Vrabel has the right vision for developing Drake Maye
Mike Vrabel is a massive upgrade as the new head coach of the New England Patriots. But the most important thing for the organization remains the development of their young quarterback, Drake Maye.
What can Vrabel, a defensive-minded coach who played outside linebacker in the NFL, do for a quarterback? That’s a common concern for those who would prefer an offensive coach, whose specialty would be to get the most out of the most important player on the field and the side of the ball that is driving the league these days.
But here’s the reality: good head coaches don’t have to be offensive geniuses, and great offensive coordinators aren’t necessarily cut out to be head coaches. The top guy needs to lead, set the tone, prepare the team, and manage the game on Sundays. They need to assemble a smart, tough group of players. And so, regardless of your fancy system or quarterback knowledge, if you don’t excel at those other things, you’re not going to succeed as a head coach.
Vrabel is a proven commodity at the head coach-y things. And he knows what Maye needs to learn, and how much of that comes from him. Beyond the need to “put great people around [Maye],” which is also part of the equation, Vrabel realizes that he needs to grow Maye as a leader. He needs to develop Maye as a decision-maker and game manager. Because we already know the physical talent is there; it’s the intangibles that will take Maye to the next level.
“I would say that my involvement will be as it relates to game management and situational awareness and where we are on the football field and trying to develop [Maye] as a leader of the offense,” Vrabel said Monday, during his introductory press conference as head coach of the Patriots. “Drake is going to be his own person, but I’m going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary to help us win football games. We have to be a very efficient passing football team.
“When you look at statistically what wins in the National Football League, our ability to affect the other team’s quarterback and our ability to provide for an efficient quarterback and passing game is a high contributor to success.”
Maye’s physical talent has been evident since even the preseason. His arm talent is off the charts, and he can run with the best of them at his position. And he’s projected good leadership qualities in the early-going, too, as a confident player with a desire to win (and a hatred of losing) and a guy that his teammates want to rally around.
Vrabel is going to do his best to accentuate Maye’s positive qualities. But more importantly, Vrabel needs to improve on the quarterback’s shortcomings and correct his mistakes from his rookie season. Maye threw 10 interceptions in 338 pass attempts, and his 3.0% INT rate was fourth-highest among all quarterbacks with over 10 starts. He also fumbled nine times in 13 games, and lost five of them.
Maye also has to improve as a decision-maker. Some of his turnovers came at particularly inopportune times. He sometimes took unnecessary risks according to the game situation at the time. He needs to learn when the time is right to throw or run, and when to be aggressive or conservative. Vrabel also hinted at a Patriots offense that he wants to be “aggressive but not reckless” and protect the ball. That’s certainly an ideal way for your quarterback to play.
As for the finer details of playing the position, that’s where the “great people” will have to come in and surround Maye. The offensive coordinator, quarterback coach, and various assistants can focus on his footwork, arm mechanics, accuracy, field vision, and play-calling. The hope is that Vrabel and the Pats make inspired choices for those roles, and that Maye’s development will continue to progress and not stagnate or regress.
Vrabel needs to mold Maye into more of a “field general,” as the cliché goes. Plenty of super-talented quarterbacks have conveyor-belted through the league and failed, because they lacked the intangible qualities that the very best in the league possess. Maye has a chance to be an elite guy because of his physical traits, but he will only reach that level if he marries them with strong leadership and decision-making on Sundays, and to do those things in critical moments.
The Patriots are hoping that Vrabel is the one to unlock that next level for Maye. It’s promising that the coach knows what it’s going to take.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
