Admittedly, it was not all bad when Patriots budding star quarterback Drake Maye took a hit against the Titans in Tennessee on the team’s opening drive on Sunday, and knocked his noggin on the turf. Maye had to exit the game and hit the blue tent with concussion concerns.
In his place, backup Josh Dobbs ran two plays, including a tough throw to convert a third down and keep what was a touchdown drive alive.
Said Maye on Wednesday: “I think, credit Dobbs, he made the play of the day, he came in here and evaded a sack and threw a dime. It was good to see that from the blue tent, I was looking through the top of the blue tent and saw it.”
Drake Maye: ‘Always an Emphasis on Sliding’
Maye did come back to lead that touchdown drive, which was capped by a Rhamondre Stevenson run and gave the team a 24-13 lead and control of the game. But the play did highlight one of the early concerns about Maye here in his young career. He makes plays with his legs, which he noted are the kinds of plays that can deflate a defense.
But when he makes those plays, all too often, he puts himself in harm’s way. He’s got to remember that the slide is the quarterback’s best friend and keeps his bell from being rung. Maye is putting an emphasis on making that change more.
“I think there is always an emphasis on sliding for me, since the beginning of the year, from last year. Taking hits and knowing that being out there for the next plays is most important,” he said. “But sliding and knowing when to get down and knowing where the third down or the end zone are.”
Patriots Want Drake Maye to Be Smart
Maye has 200 yards rushing on the season, which is fifth in the league among quarterbacks, and two touchdowns. It’s clearly part of his game, and his ability to tuck and scoot for first downs has been critical this year.
He knows there is a balance, but playing it safe goes against his instincts. Until, that is, he starts waking up on Mondays with new aches and pains.
“I think it does but, it doesn’t when you start to get hit and you start waking up in the morning and you’re starting to know what it’s like being in the trenches …” Maye said. “Getting hit over and over and playing in the real war. I get the easy part back there. But I am competitive and want to make the most out of every play but also, gotta be smart over that.”
Patriots Need More Consistency From Offensive Line
The easier solution for the Patriots might be to simply block better up front. The team’s pass protection has been vastly improved from last year–it was the worst in the league then–but coach Mike Vrabel wants more consistency with setting up a pocket for Maye.
“We need to be able to block that and protect the quarterback,” Vrabel said. “We have to be able to do that. A lot of really good pockets and then there were some ones that weren’t. I don’t think there was anywhere in between (Sunday).
“It was either we got a lot of time and we got a clean pocket, or we got beat on a game or a pressure, and that was, I guess, the story of the pass protection yesterday. It was either no pressure or pretty quick, immediate pressure, and we’ll have to improve that.”
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