Patriots' Drake Maye opens up about trying to be successor to Tom Brady
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye helped the New England Patriots produce a five-game winning streak that has fans believing he can be the long-term successor to Tom Brady that the Patriots have been searching for since Brady left the organization following the 2019 season.
During a recent chat with Patriots legend and current Fox personality Rob Gronkowski that the club shared on Monday, Maye opened up about dealing with the pressure that comes with following in Brady's footsteps.
Drake Maye staying true to himself amid Tom Brady comparisons
"Just trying to be myself," Maye explained, per Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated. "Don't try to be 'the greatest of all time.' I think the biggest thing is, I just respect it. Respect what [Brady] did for the game. Watching the old tape is one of my favorite things to do. Do a little Gronk pass, or hitting the seam down the middle. I was sitting there watching the Hall of Fame speech last year, [with Brady] talking about, 'No shortcuts.' Just trying to pull what I can from him and appreciate his greatness."
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and first-year head coach Mike Vrabel gave Maye homework during the offseason that involved the 23-year-old studying how Brady played in McDaniels' offense. Maye has since emerged as a legitimate Most Valuable Player Award candidate who helped the 6-2 Patriots climb to the top of the AFC East standings.
Per Pro Football Reference, Maye ended Week 8 of the season leading the NFL among qualified players with a 118.7 passer rating and a 75.2 percent completion percentage. According to StatMuse, he began Tuesday ranked third in the league with a combined 2,276 passing and rushing yards on the campaign. Only three players tallied more combined passing and rushing touchdowns than Maye (17) over the season's first eight weeks.
Drake Maye again shows leadership while praising teammates
Following his rookie season, Maye was challenged by Vrabel and others within the Patriots to grow as a leader. The signal-caller has routinely credited others for the success he has enjoyed this fall, and he did so again during a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI.
"You aren’t surprised when you see it every day in practice, and that’s what these guys do," Maye said about his receivers making plays during games, per Meghan Ottolini of Audacy. "They put it on tape. They show it in practice. It’s my job to get them chances to go make plays, and it’s just stuff to learn from, from the game. But just keep giving them chances, and they keep showing up."
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Maye third among the betting favorites at +500 odds to claim MVP Award honors for the ongoing regular season. He will look to remain hot when the Patriots host the Atlanta Falcons (3-4) this coming Sunday.
Dan Campbell Confirms Major Setback for Jared Goff After Lions Announce Injury Updates
The Detroit Lions had a gritty win over the Bengals in a Week 5 matchup, but they surely missed their left tackle, Taylor Decker. Head Coach Dan Campbell confirmed that the team plans to “play it smart” with Decker’s injury, signaling that he might not return early.
Decker was downgraded on Saturday due to a shoulder injury, and the Lions ruled him out before Sunday’s game.
As posted by Ben Raven, writer for MLive on X, “Dan Campbell said the decision to make Taylor Decker inactive was due to the ‘diminishing returns’ on his shoulder…….”
However, it’s troublesome for Jared Goff, as the quarterback will be without his reliable offensive lineman. Giovanni Manu stepped into place, and it was his first NFL game. It clearly showed why losing Decker is a setback for Jared.
