Eight days into Patriots training camp, quarterback Drake Maye’s most positive development has been his lack of negative plays.
Maye, as pointed out by friend and NBC Sports Boston scribe Tom E. Curran, has now gone six practices without throwing a pick. But don’t get it twisted: he’s not turtling and he wants to keep his gunslinger swagger.
He just wants to be smart about it.
“It’s one of those things where, I’m trying to take care of the football, and maybe they could have a few [picks] here and there,” Maye said after Thursday’s walkthrough practice. “I think Pep [Jabrill Peppers] should have had one in practice. I joked with him about it. That’s a goal of ours, take care of the football. I’m not trying to throw the ‘perfect game’ or ‘no hitter,’ and I think that’s part of it. I’m not scared to throw it, I’m still not gunshy.”
Maye threw 10 interceptions through 13 games last year. We all know he can throw the deep ball. He threw an average of 10 yards gained per completion. He’s proven himself as a fearless big kid, whether he’s forced to throw or scramble.
The question for his sophomore season, under the tutelage of Josh McDaniels, is his personal risk assessment. Will Maye know when to play hero, and when to exercise patience?
He made some headlines in the spring for a multi-pick day in the early offseason program. He chalked it up to part of the process, and learning when to thread the needle:
“I think I did a little bit of that in the spring, trying to throw into some tight windows. Threw my interceptions, but that’s what you’re out here for. You’ve got to feel out, hey, could this work? Or could this work against these guys, at this level?”
He’s been happy to settle for the checkdown in competitive 11v11 drills in pads. He’s worked McDaniels’ quick game, but he’s been given the chance to run a bit, as well.
“It’s an even balance of getting an extra hat. You know the quarterback, being able to run the football, it gives you an extra number. It’ll make it 11 on 11 instead of 10 on 11,” he said. “So, I think it’s always a useful [thing]. At the end of the day, I make some plays off-schedule, anyway. But mixing in the quarterback run game is something I’m open to, and I think it’s always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.”
Yes, Maye should run. He should get more designed runs than he did last season, and he should use his legs in the red zone. But he should NOT scramble as much as he did under Alex Van Pelt. The offense, while far from elite, should offer him more safety valves and keep him from the multiple head injuries he suffered last year. For Maye to develop, and the team to succeed, he has to prove he can color inside the lines.
It’s not the first time Maye said he’s had to adjust his game – especially when he absolutely has to protect himself. The Patriots need him for 17 games if they want any shot at the playoffs. With that in consideration, Maye recalled how his play style changed from his early days in Chapel Hill:
“I faced that in college. My first year, I was really kind of, running around and doing some stuff I probably shouldn’t have, with pads on.”
It’s very early in his process. This week, Maye's been content with a flat pass to Hunter Henry, and he's aimed a perfect teardrop pass into the arms of Kyle Williams some 40 yards downfield. The bigger indicators will flash as he sees the Commanders and Vikings for joint practices. Will the pressure of performing against another team, (and two quarterbacks from his draft class), ramp up his desire to throw on the Superman cape, and throw a silly pass, or several?
To be determined. If Maye continues on the straight and narrow through camp, his outlook is very bright.