Drake Maye is less than a week away from his sophomore debut in the NFL, and after being voted a team captain earlier this week, the Patriots quarterback is ready to take on everything that comes with wearing the “C” patch.
“What a great honor. I think it comes with a lot of responsibility.
I think it’s something great when the players vote on it and put you as a captain. It’s always a great feeling,” Maye told 'WEEI Afternoons' Tuesday. “It shows what I’ve done, but there’s more work to do in the future. That’s leading the guys, that’s acting like a captain and playing like a captain, and doing all the things a captain would.”
“It’s a lot to live up to,” Maye added, reflecting on New England Patriots captains who’ve held the job before him.
Maye’s second year comes with a slew of other changes: aside from a major roster makeover and new head coach in Mike Vrabel, he’s spent the last several months building his relationship with new his new play caller, Josh McDaniels.
“I think it's always huge to be on the same page as the coordinator, seeing things the same way, expecting to get these looks. It's always great when you have a coordinator fully confident in me. I think he's trying to get us the best looks and he does it at a high level,” he said.
McDaniels, who has spent two different career stretches as OC for the Patriots before this third stint, is known for his quick game. Maye sounded enthusiastic to further build on what started with former play caller Alex Van Pelt last year.
“Oh, I think that’s huge, that’s something I learned as the year went on last year. The best thing is positive plays, just moving the chains and staying ahead of the chains. I think we had some success when I wasn’t holding the ball and taking negative plays and taking sacks. So that’s a huge emphasis for me to get the ball out on time.”
That doesn’t mean Maye won’t be a weapon in the running game again this year, he said.
“I think it’s a tool that I can utilize when the play breaks down, on a scramble play, or add another hat in the run game. So, I’m looking forward to doing whatever I can in short yardage to just keep the defense honest.”
So, how good can this New England team be, after back-to-back four-win seasons? Maye didn’t get too specific, but shared his vision for the postseason – and how to get the Patriots back there.
“Continue to take a step forwards, take it one step at a time, weeks go back so fast,” he said. “Every week, just try to bring my best out there. To make the playoffs – that would be an awesome goal. That’s everybody’s goal board. But just do whatever I can as a captain of this team and showcase that.”
The long weekend gave the UNC Chapel Hill alum a chance to watch Bill Belichick coach his alma mater, and he remained optimistic the team will have a better showing than their 48-14 season-opening loss to TCU Monday night, while complimenting the coach:
“[It] was an honor to meet him. What a legendary coach. He's got a bunch of new players in the program and they're figuring it out.”