In a departure from general fan norms, the greatest cause of the New England Patriots‘ fans hope and promise for the 2025 season did not come from the emergence of their new franchise quarterback, Drake Maye.
Instead it came from owner, Robert Kraft, bringing in head coach, Mike Vrabel, to replace Jerod Mayo.
Vrabel bought with him a considerable amount of free agent acquisitions, including former player, Harold Landry III; and after a subsequent draft that was widely perceived to be one of the strongest in the league, expectations are higher in Massachusetts than they have been in half a decade.
Vrabel Dishes Out Encouraging Words On Drake Maye
And just when Patriots fans thought the hype could not get any greater, Vrabel – speaking at Optional Training Activities (OTAs) had some very positive words for Maye, via team transcript obtained by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
“There has been great improvement [from Maye],â Vrabel said, âEverybodyâs going to have a bad day. Thereâs a lot of reasons that go into it. Weâre not going to analyze every single practice and have explanations for things that came up. The command, the operation, all those things have continued to improve.”
However, Vrabel did address the fact that the former UNC QB had thrown a few interceptions whilst the media watched on over, and that this was a part of his game that still needed further development.
“Hopefully, the operation, the communication today, and the execution has got to be better. We only have so many of these opportunities. Iâm hopeful that in front of us, the media, that we have a better day.â
Vrabel Keeping Some Role On The Offense Despite McDaniels Taking Charge
He also voiced that despite his role as head coach entailing some say in the offensive output, Vrabel will likely leave the more nitty-gritty aspects of the position to returning offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels.
âI think when I have something to say to Drake, Iâll say it, and I think when Josh [McDaniels] wants to put plays in that can help him or explain what the read is, itâs going to be things that Iâm not going to be as knowledgeable at when it relates to quarterbacks,â Vrabel said. âBut I think that there will be some other things where I can help him. We donât have it scripted out â thatâs kind of our job is to figure out what to say and when to say it.â
So it is not all flowers and roses for Drake Maye as he continues to develop as a quarterback in the National Football league, particularly for a player that was not considered a fully polished prospect coming out the draft.
But his upside and ability is there for all to see, and the Patriots will be hoping that he puts in on display in training camp and ultimately, the regular season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mike Vrabel Shares Optimistic Update On Drake Maye During OTAs appeared first on Heavy Sports.