Maye Day: The Ups and Downs
On Sunday, the NFL’s third overall pick, quarterback Drake Maye, proved to New England Patriots fans that there is some promise for the first time in two seasons. The University of North Carolina product performed admirably against one of the NFL’s premier defenses in the Houston Texans. While his debut landed far from perfect, there are more than a few things for Patriots fans to hang their Super Bowl Champion hats on. For the first time in eight games, a Patriots quarterback threw for over 200 yards in a game and Maye completed the longest pass in the air since Christmas Eve of 2022.
Before we get into the real upsides of Drake Maye’s game against the Texans, I would be remiss if I did not mention the negatives that reared their head. For example on his first interception, Maye provides a good example of why many people believed that some time to develop was in his best interest. Rather than a solid and confident drop back and step up into a solid base from which he could deliver a strike to a crossing Demario Douglas, his footwork starts solid but as the pocket deteriorates, so do his feet. He hops into a base that causes his weight to pull back and he skies the ball into Houston safety Calen Bullock’s hands. And this was not the only time, that he put this style of footwork on tape throughout the game, the season, or in college.
Now, for the fun stuff. The kid has an arm, that much is clear. All you need to do is watch the 40-yard bomb to end the half to see that much on the surface level. However, according to AWS, Patriots quarterbacks have struggled under pressure as the team ranks in the bottom five in expected points added per pass. Not Maye, who showed several times that he has the confidence and arm talent to hang in the pocket and deliver a strike to his receivers. On the same touchdown-scoring drive, the North Carolina native hangs in, despite having no room to step up into, and flicks a check-down out to the sideline to keep the sticks moving. For more on why Maye had to sit for the start of the season, please find more information here.