Even though the New England Patriots are 1-2 after three weeks, Drake Maye is demonstrating he is the quarterback for the future. The former North Carolina playmaker isn’t putting up spectacular numbers, but he’s gotten more comfortable in his role after 16 starts in his career.
The Patriots lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, with Maye putting up solid numbers. He completed 28 of 37 pass attempts for 268 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side, he was intercepted once and sacked five times.
Mike Vrabel is in his first season as the Patriots’ head coach, and he’s taking the team through he right path. Maye has completed 72.6% of his passes after three games, and he’s thrown five touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Patriots’ offense must do a good job protecting him, as he’s been sacked 12 times in three games. All in all, Vrabel is excited about his player, and he had positive words for the former No. 3 overall pick.
Mike Vrabel praises Drake Maye amid 1-2 start
After the Week 3 matchup ended, Vrabel heaped praise on the young player. He admitted that Maye still has room for growth, but he’s taking the right steps to become a star.
“A lot of good. A lot of good. And unfortunately, some decisions that have to be better. I’m sure we’ll have to protect him better,” Vrabel said of Maye. And just understanding that you don’t have to win it all on one play. There’s opportunities to move on and save the day in the next play.
“You can’t put the ball in harm’s way at that position. But certainly Drake wasn’t alone. But there’s a lot of really good things in there, his ability to extend plays, scramble, pick up 1st downs for us, run multiple plays inside the pocket, outside the pocket. There’s a lot of good things in there, just some decision making that we need to have be better for him and for himself.”
The Patriots are a young team that has shown glimpses of the team they could become. They are on the right track, and if Maye continues to develop, this team could compete for big things in the mid-term.