The Drake Maye Report: Rookie QB isn’t lighting it up, and that’s OK

The Drake Maye Report: Rookie QB isn’t lighting it up, and that’s OK originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

FOXBORO — Things looked like they were speeding up on Drake Maye and the Patriots offense.

One throw went into traffic and fell incomplete. Then came a bad snap, an immediate pressure, and another miss. Then came a fumbled handoff. Then there was a stuffed run that had the entire defense losing its collective mind. Later there was another pressure and another incompletion.

Maye had an opportunity to make up for it and hit one final play in a gotta-have-it situation, lobbing a pass to the corner of the end zone and fellow rookie Javon Baker. It was broken up by corner Shaun Wade, and the offense was forced to do push-ups. The defense continued to whoop it up.

Maye finished that period of practice — where the offense was given an opportunity to drive the field and punch one into the end zone — 1-for-6, with his lone completion coming on a crossing route to rookie second-round wideout Ja’Lynn Polk.

Maye finished the day, which focused heavily on red-zone work, going 8-for-15 in competitive periods.

His footwork wasn’t an obvious problem, and there were moments his protection let him down. But there were also overthrows from clean pockets to open receivers. There was a moment where the entire offense had to re-huddle with the rookie at the helm.

Things are moving quickly for the No. 3 overall pick. His head may be spinning. But that is to be expected through six practices.

This Alex Van Pelt offense is a timing-and-rhythm-obsessed system. That was not how Maye’s offense was structured in college. It is, in all likelihood, going to take a while for him to get comfortable playing in a scheme where there are very clear guidelines as to where your feet and eyes should be on certain plays at certain times. There’s a rigidness to it that is foreign for him.

The Patriots have to hope that Maye will eventually find the balance between following all the rules he’s asked to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/drake-maye-report-rookie-qb-165409015.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-07-31 16:54:09

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