Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye quadrupled his snaps from last week to this week. And coach Jerod Mayo seemed to be pleased with the performance of the third overall pick in the draft.
“He had great composure,” Mayo told reporters after the game against the Eagles. “I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things. Hopefully, he can build on that, and we’ll see how this week goes.”
In his four drives and 24 plays, Maye engineered a touchdown that he scored himself on a short run. In all, he completed six of 11 passes for 47 yards. His best throw of the night covered more than 50 yards in the air; receiver Javon Baker dove for it, but he couldn’t hold on.
“That was always the plan, kind of what I told you guys last week,” Mayo said regarding Maye’s increased opportunities. “That was always the plan to play him more. It was the plan to play him in the third quarter so we can go through some of those adjustments and see if he can handle that stuff, and he did.”
Does that mean Maye can still end up starting, sooner than later?
“For me, we always talk about competition, and that’s at all spots,” Mayo said. “So, even if Drake beats out Jacoby [Brissett], I mean, he earned that role. . . . When he’s ready to go, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
Mayo specifically likes Maye’s demeanor.
“One of the reasons we drafted Drake was, through the interview process you could kind of tell this was an even-keeled guy,” Mayo said. “I think you guys can probably see it from the stands. This guy doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He was like that in college. He was probably like that as a kid. He remains that way now, which is a good thing for a quarterback. Those guys, they have to maintain their composure, get the call to the huddle and get those guys out of the huddle, get them ready to go. He’s always been like that in my mind.”
Even if he’s even-keeled, it’s important to also be confident. Maye was asked about that quality after his performance in the second preseason game.
“I think every time you get out there you get more and more confident,” Maye told reporters. “First off, it’s always going to be the nerves, getting out and running out there the first time. But other than that, more reps are only going to help me. At the end of the day, I’m just fortunate to be able to get out there get some reps and make the most of my opportunities.”
He acknowledged that “there are definitely things I can clean up,” and that he “had some good things, had some bad plays.” One bad play was a fumbled snap from under center. That happened two plays before his long throw that was nearly caught.
The better news for Maye (and the Patriots) is that fellow rookie Joe Milton III played less than last week, and created less buzz. He completed two of seven passes for 20 yards and ran three times for nine yards.
So it’s still Brissett as the starting quarterback in New England. For the first time, however, it’s possible to envision a not-too-distant future with Maye taking the job — especially since Brissett was three for seven for 17 yards and a not-too-good interception on Thursday night.
