Josh McDaniels returning for a third stint as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots is supposed to accelerate the development of quarterback Drake Maye, and the play-caller has a new plan to unleash the second-year pro’s range of talents.
Actually, it’s more accurate to say McDaniels has an old plan he can make new again for Maye. The strategy involves making designed QB runs a core part of the playbook, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi.
It would represent quite a change from how the Pats used Maye last season. When McDaniels’ predecessor Alex Van Pelt “wasn’t keen on exposing the rookie quarterback to any more hits than he was already facing.”
Fortunately, McDaniels hasn’t been shy about turning a dual-threat quarterback loose. It’s what he did for Cam Newton in 2020, when, as Giardi noted, the 2015 NFL MVP “ran the ball 137 times that season, and only 20 of those attempts were off scrambles.”
McDaniels has already been putting a designed QB run game into place for Maye during training camp.
Josh McDaniels Putting New Plan Into Action for Patriots QBs
Maye’s backup, Joshua Dobbs, another mobile signal-caller, revealed what McDaniels has told the members of his quarterback room about running the ball. Dobbs said “Josh has explained he wants to use our skill set and athleticism at the QB position as another way to keep the defense on their heels. And so obviously, situationally, when we need it, we’ll be able to pull it out and make plays with our legs. But outside of that, we’ll make sure we’re in the right play to pick defenses apart. And definitely, we just want to have forward momentum every time we take the field,” per Giardi.
Urging proactive passers to tuck and run when openings present themselves is simply smart situational football, but the McDaniels plan is more deliberate. As Giardi pointed out, “McDaniels has also called several bootlegs in practice, not just for Maye but for Dobbs as well. Hell, a Dobbs fake on Monday was so good I thought he actually handed the ball off. Based on the defense’s reaction, I wasn’t the only one.”
The note about Dobbs faking a handoff and keeping the ball to run is significant. It speaks to zone-read concepts that helped Newton gash defenses on the ground five years ago, with Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports highlighting some of the best rushing concepts and attempts.
Newton’s plays are ideal for Maye, who proved himself more than adept when trusting his legs as a rookie.
Drake Maye Perfect for Patriots QB Run Game
Maye excelled when keeping the ball on the ground last season. He amassed 421 rushing yards and ran for two touchdowns.
An average of 7.8 yards is all the reason the Pats need to create more opportunities for Maye to run. It’s already happening based on this zone-read highlighted by Cutcall editor ZeeBee.
Maye can expect to run more plays like this as long as he commits to a key change he’s making ahead of Year 2. The change is based on the 22-year-old doing a better job protecting himself from taking unnecessary hits once he breaks the pocket.
It’s a necessary first step toward Maye becoming a viable runner McDaniels can use in special ways to give defenses something extra to worry about.
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