On Sunday, rookie quarterback Drake Maye made his second career start, as his 1-5 Patriots took their act overseas to take on the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London.
A different continent did not yield a different result for New England, as they fell to the Jags 32-16 for their sixth consecutive loss on the year.
Six straight losses is the longest streak of losing for the Patriots since 1993, the season before Robert Kraft purchased the franchise from James Orthwein.
With his team sitting at 1-6, Maye told the WEEI Afternoon Show that he can do a better job at being a leader for this team moving forward.
“I think that’s a big thing as a quarterback - you need to lead these guys,” Maye said during his “Patriots Monday” interview with WEEI’s Christian Arcand and Andy Hart. “I need to say more, I need to be more positive on the sideline to pump people up and fly around.
“[Alex Van Pelt] always preaches, you know, pick people up once they’re on the ground or getting tackled. And I think I need to show some of that for myself. Not that, you know, just the quarterback standing in the back. So I think it comes as the season goes on. Not trying to come in there and be the ‘rah-rah’ guy right when I get the nod as the starter. But I think it comes with, you know, playing football and making plays.”
In addition to helping lift his teammates up, Maye also believes that he needs to be able to get to a point where he’s comfortable calling his teammates out when it’s clear they need to step up on the field.
“Early in my tenure here covering the team, Willie McGinest and Rodney Harrison, and there were some of those guys that weren’t afraid to kick guys in the butt if they needed it,” said Hart, who spent 17 years working for Patriots Football Weekly before joining WEEI full-time in 2019. “Do you feel like sometimes a leader isn’t just building guys up, but also getting them back in line?”
“No doubt,” said the 22-year-old QB. “I think that definitely plays a part. I think you kind of treat guys differently based on, you know, the relationship with them, and kind of their personality. Think those guys up front - keep pumping them up. You know, they’re fighting their butts off all game, and often times don’t get the credit that they deserve.
“So maybe those guys up front - pump them up, or maybe a guy like Hunter [Henry] that I’m starting to build a relationship with, I can kind of get on him, ‘Hey Hunt, I need you there.’ Or [Austin Hooper], those tight end guys that I, you know, feel like we’ve built a nice connection with. You know, maybe get on those guys a little more than maybe the offensive line or some of the receivers.”
With Maye as the unquestioned starting quarterback of this team moving forward, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to work on his leadership skills as New England tries to dig themselves out of a historical hole.
His next crack at it - Sunday’s Week 8 rematch with the New York Jets (2-5) at Gillette Stadium.
Maye made his regular season debut against the Jets in Week 3, as he came in for the final series of the game in his teams’ 24-3 loss on Thursday Night Football.
Coming off a 37-15 loss in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football to the Steelers, the two-win Jets are currently listed as a 7-point road favorite against the Patriots at both BetMGM and FanDuel.