It’s a fresh start and a new era in Foxborough as the New England Patriots prepare for Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, now less than two weeks away. It is of course the first regular-season game of Mike Vrabel’s tenure as head coach, but it also has a different feel for quarterback Drake Maye.
While Maye was here last year and ultimately started 12 games as a rookie, he was not the starter to begin the year. That, as much as we all might want to forget it, was Jacoby Brissett. Maye did not get his first start until Week 6.
This year, Maye has been the unquestioned starter from the moment last season ended. And as he now prepares for his first career Week 1 start, he told WEEI Afternoons on Monday that he does feel “a different kind of juice.” Listen to the full interview above.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Maye said. “I think last year, I was preparing and trying to kind of review the call sheet and kind of hit guys here and there as the backup going into Week 1. I think there's always a different kind of juice when you're coming out here as the starter, and you run out there the first snap and juices are flowing and those guys are looking at me, and it's my huddle and it's my offense. So, I think it’s a different feel, and I'm excited. That's one of the things I'm most excited for, getting out there and getting to start Week 1. And I think with the home crowd, in front of our fans, and there’s a lot of build-up always for Week 1, and I think it's always good to get out there and show out.”
Maye not only has a new head coach for the second time in as many years, but a new offensive coordinator as well. He told Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens that he’s getting “more and more comfortable” every day in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“Yeah, building each and every day,” Maye said. “I'm getting more and more comfortable. I think coming into Week 1 with the game plan will be a little different from the some of the stuff we run in practice, just because you're studying the defense and studying stuff that looks good versus them. So, for me, I feel good. I feel like I’m in a good spot. I think the guys are coming to work every day at practice, and right now Coach is working towards Week 1. I think just fine-tuning the details, and for me, just going back over stuff that may be simple for me in the past, but just going back over the little things and little protection cues and stuff that may come up that we maybe haven't seen, just to be on top of my stuff. Because you never know, Week 1, sometimes defenses or you’ve never seen somebody play a real game, so they bring stuff you maybe haven't seen.”