On Wednesday, the Patriots held their fifth Organized Team Activity (OTA) practice of the spring, which also marked the second OTA practice open to the media this month.
During the first OTA session open to the media on May 20, second-year quarterback Drake Maye made headlines as he threw 4 interceptions on his first 8 pass attempts during the first 11-on-11 period of practice.
So if there wasn’t already going to be a powerful microscope on anything and everything Maye did on the field on Wednesday, coming off a four-pick practice was only going to intensify the scrutiny.
And while Stefon Diggs’ viral boat video commanded most of the headlines Wednesday, another up-and-down performance from Maye did garner some real estate on the airwaves.
He didn’t throw any picks, but he also didn’t light the world on fire.
9 for 17 passing, to be exact…not great!
It was yet another day that left the Patriots media industrial complex wanting more from Maye.
FOXBOROUGH, MA - MAY 20: New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) waits for the next drill instructions from New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during New England Patriots OTA on May 20, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
The next 24 hours of breaking down another lackluster practice for Maye by the media came up in conversation on Friday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show, with one of the show’s producers firing off an absolute quake-take, seemingly cooked up in a sports talk radio lab and fired off with the casualness of a one-off comment to a buddy at the bar.
WEEI’s Chris Scheim laid the canvas.
“Everybody relax, nobody freak out,” Scheim said of the Maye reaction, specifically referencing Tom E. Curran’s comments from WEEI Afternoons on Thursday. “I saw some people try to aggregate it on Twitter, getting all nervous. Like, it's OTAs. They're figuring things out. They're working through stuff.
“If we get into a preseason game and he's throwing the ball all over the place, sailing things left and right, then I'll be concerned. But whether it's a good day or a bad day at OTAs should not impact how you view the Patriots and Drake Maye entering this season. Let's watch him when actual pads are on, there's actually people on the field, and we're actually seeing real football in front of us.”
WEEI’s Chris Curtis painted the Monet.
“I don't think Joe Milton's very good, so this isn't me saying that he should be the starter,” Curtis chimed in with the non sequitur. “But isn't it concerning that you removed competition from a guy that clearly seems to need it? Like, why are you trying to make it easy on him?”
“Why do you think he needs competition?” Scheim replied.
“Tom Brady needed competition,” Curtis fired back. “So I assume if he did, it would help Drake Maye. I mean, Brady's second half of his dynasty was created because Belichick drafted Jimmy G., and it got him to a new level.”
“And he didn't need competition from like, what, ’03 to ’07?” Scheim asked rhetorically.
Curtis dug in, replying, “It's a bad sign that you have to get rid of a guy because the starting quarterback - and if he's playing like this, I agree. Who cares? It's an OTA. But if you're going to have a practice, you might as well be good at it.”
…before we continue, bravo to Curtis. A masterclass in sports talk to take a seemingly nothing story - an uneven day from Maye in May while installing a new offense in shorts and helmets - and tie it back into one of the biggest talkers of the spring. Milton trade talk completely dominated a solid three-to-five weeks of airtime in the lead up to the NFL Draft, and I applaud Curtis for finding a way to keep that conversation alive.
Anyways, back to Friday’s Greg Hill Show:
“That's not confirmed, though,” said WEEI’s Courtney Cox. “The Milton thing is not confirmed, that he caused it.”
“It's pretty close to confirmed,” Curtis responded confidently.
“It’s…not,” said Cox, with Scheim chiming back in to say, “That's a complete assumption that Drake Maye’s the one that wanted him out.”
“I mean, I would bet everything I have on it,” said Curtis. “I believe that entirely.”
Foxborough, MA - August 2: New England Patriots QBs Drake Maye and Joe Milton III embrace during a break in drills.John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
“You think a rookie quarterback has that type of pull, though?” said Cox.
“Oh, Drake Maye’s is the most important person in that building,” said Curtis.
“Tom Brady was the most important person in that building, and he got Jimmy Garoppolo to hit the road, but it took a few seasons,” said Cox.
“That was a different system,” Curtis replied. “You had the coach who had won, at that time, three [Super Bowls], been to five. You had a quarterback that was one of the top three players in the history of the sport at that time.”
“Not with Vrabel,” said WEEI’s Jermaine Wiggins. “I don't think Drake Maye’s walking into Vrabel’s office. I think what Vrabel did is, he eliminated a potential distraction, if Drake Maye is, or at least the reports are [that] he's a little shaky, because what do you think people would be saying if Joe Milton was here? ‘He should get some first team reps.’
“And I'm with Ninkovich on this one. I'm not at OTAs, so I don't know, like - are they there to see the whole practice? When he says that he was erratic - I mean, is he watching every single rep? Or is it a pat-and-go period, where he might sail a ball here or there? So it is OTA, so I'm not gonna concern myself a ton. Because I’ve seen the guy play in games.”
Jan 5, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III (19) reacts after runs the ball for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium.David Butler II/Imagn Images
Wiggy is dead-on.
The minute Maye struggles in any way moving forward, the MIlton conversation is going to start up immediately. We saw his morning show counterpart do it after the fifth OTA practice in May.
We all need to mentally prepare for some version of this Milton-take to be in the holster of sports radio hosts, callers, commenters and trolls moving forward. It’s just too easy, and it will immediately elicit a reaction one way or another.
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