FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On one red-zone play late in Patriots obligatory minicamp follow Monday, quarterback Drake Maye fired a go to rookie working again TreVeyon Henderson on the goal-line for a landing, which led to a rousing cheer from the offense.
Quickly after, Maye summed up his viewpoint on the place issues stand as spring practices come to an finish this week, whereas he continues to be taught coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“I feel we’re catching the stride; I feel I am beginning to discover a stride,” Maye mentioned. “I am bummed out we’re about to go away, nevertheless it’s enjoyable.”
The Patriots have yet one more follow Tuesday earlier than an prolonged break. Maye has a special day to look ahead to, with plans to marry longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson on June 21. After that, he mentioned he’ll flip his consideration to preparing for the beginning of coaching camp in mid-to-late July.
Maye’s development as he enters his second NFL season, and in addition from the beginning of spring practices in late April, has been a hot-button matter in New England. His potential was cited by first-year head coach Mike Vrabel as one of many interesting elements of the job.
Within the first voluntary organized group exercise open to reporters 4 weeks in the past, Maye threw 4 interceptions, though one might need been nullified by a defensive penalty. He is appeared sharper since, seldom turning the ball over.
“You possibly can take that with a grain of salt, however on the identical time, you do not wish to flip the soccer over and get in unhealthy habits,” he mentioned. “I really feel like I’ve achieved a great job of making an attempt to maintain the soccer in our fingers, and that is one in all our key focuses.”
Maye shared that specializing in “taking what’s open, taking the very first thing” has been an essential adjustment for him, as a result of “while you have a tendency to attend for the massive one, holding the ball, generally it isn’t open.”
“It is good for us to put in performs, get a really feel for what I like. Coach McDaniels has been superior about asking what I like and what he expects from me on sure performs,” he mentioned. “So it has been good to have the ability to get that exterior and on the sphere.”
In the meantime, Vrabel mentioned on the Invoice O’Brien Podcast” that he is labored with Maye on “management and command; his psychological method, aggressive stamina to play this place and understanding how laborious it’s within the league to win and play the quarterback place nicely.”
Requested earlier than Monday’s follow on Maye’s evolution as a frontrunner, Vrabel mentioned: “I feel it is a distinctive place being 22 so I feel there’s a number of room to develop. I feel there’s a number of pure management qualities. I’ve to encourage him, and to place him in these positions to try this.”
One instance of how Vrabel has achieved so got here on the finish of Monday’s follow when he aligned the offense throughout the goal-line, put Maye within the center, and had Maye name out the cadence and simulate a snap depend that gave each participant the cue on when to run successive 30-yard sprints. If a participant left early, Vrabel added a dash.
Maye’s voice boomed throughout the sphere. He mentioned after follow that his largest concern in that scenario was serving to teammates with the cadence so they would not bounce offsides.
Of his voice rising louder in his second season, Maye mentioned: “It is a chance for me to take a bounce. From final yr being a rookie, making an attempt to return in right here and earn my stripes via laborious work. This yr is similar method — you bought new guys in right here, new employees, carry on attending to know everyone, present my work ethic.
“From there, because the season comes round, attempt to take the subsequent step in management and main the offense and hopefully main this soccer group.”
