Drake Maye: “I Still Feel Like We Haven’t Played Our Best Football.” | Patriots Press Conference

Drake Maye: “I Still Feel Like We Haven’t Played Our Best Football.” | Patriots Press Conference

How was practice? Yeah, it’s good. I think just a um yeah, a chance to get back out there and kind of reestablish what we’re trying to be as a football team. I think uh it’s one of those games that uh you know, you just look back and be like, man, we hurt ourselves and um I think it’s one of those things just get back to you focus on us and you know, new opponent and and knowing that we can um got to know how to not you know, lose the game, you know, on ourselves before we go win. You’re top five in passing yards, top 10 in touch. I’m just curious, do you do you pay attention to stats? Does that stuff matter to you at all? I don’t think winning matters to me. I think that’s what the main goal why you play, you know, why I play this this position, why I play this sport. Um, yeah, I think, you know, quarterbacks, the ultimate kind of status is wins. So, um, I think that’s the biggest thing that I focus on. And if that’s throwing, you know, 10 touchdowns in a game or or throwing one pass in a game, just trying to win. Do you like going up uh against to Gonzalez in practice. Yeah, Gonzo, I mean, it’s a since the day I got here, um, you know, it’s always good to have somebody and and him and CD on the other side of the ball that that make it challenging, that make it challenging, to make throws, um, that don’t make it easy. And I think that’s, you know, things where you develop with guys on on my side of the ball, a different kind of um kind of level like above the next, you know, when he’s making throws difficult, he’s making this route difficult, um, you know, back shoulders on on go routes and little things like that. He’s uh you know he’s a great player and I’m looking forward to see him you know when he gets back. How’s he look? Yeah, I think you know he’s got some swag to him. He’s always got swag. So um I always you know you know try to find time for to ask him hey what can I do to up my swag because I don’t have much out there. But uh no Gon’s always um shoot every time he you know he’s smooth. Y’all seen him play. He’s smooth. He’s patient. He’s uh he’s one of the best in the game. So what does it mean for the chance to to play against your hometown team? Yeah I think it’s different playing up here. you know, going back to Charlotte would be would have been um different. Uh but you know, going against a team that I grew up watching, you grew up cheering for and um a lot of great memories in that stadium back in Bank of America. So, uh yeah, it’s a little different, but at the same time, it’s still, you know, just is another week, another week in the NFL. And um you none of the same players that I grew up, you know, playing for besides the long snapper still there. So, is it at all encouraging that, you know, the mistakes from last week, the turnovers? Do you view those as relatively easy fixes and and are you encouraged by that? Hey, if we can just hold on to the ball, you know, we got something. Yeah, like I said, not beating ourselves. That’s the that’s the big thing and that’s the um shoot, it’s you know, it’s turnovers, you know, turnovers in this league are such a big deal. Um it’s one of those things that we um yeah, we can clean up and I think you hold on to the football and and me holding on the pocket and um you know, the running backs is is is something that um I do think is fixable. I think it’s something that you try to overemphasize and and usually when we overemphasize things, you you fix it. And u you I think something throughout the week is just trying to do extra little things to, you know, protect it and and me getting you in the pocket, you know, ensuring two hands on it and um just know when the play’s over. When you look at this team, uh whether it’s in practice or during the games, do you think about how much better this team can be or maybe even should be you? Um I wouldn’t say that. I just, you know, trying to push the guys to get to that level. you know, I know what we can do and um you I still feel like we haven’t, you know, played our best football and that’s what’s promising, you know, you know, ahead and I think, uh, you know, once we do, we kind of talk about, you know, stringing some plays together in a practice or stringing a drive together. Um, you see glimpses of it. But, uh, that’s the challenging part of this league and that’s what’s the fun part about it of getting to that level and hoping to get that level when when the games, you know, matter, real matter and trying to get a, um, push to the postseason or or things like that. So, that’s what we’re trying to build towards and just keep, you know, going at it every week. Trey, just curious when you dive into an opponent’s film and you’re doing it on your own. What’s the difference in year two for you as opposed to last year if there is one that you study when you’re trying to get a beat early on the Panthers defense? Yeah, I think um you know, first off, it’s kind of just knowing the defensive coordinator kind of in the background. You kind of know more names now and know what trees from and know things like that. And uh from there, just trying to watch players more. you know, players know that, you know, coverage matters, but, you know, players and personnel matters just as much and and knowing um the guys up front you need to worry about or um the run game and and things like that or the guys, you know, hey, playing this coverage is what he likes to do or you know, he’s real aggressive when he gets, you know, backside and he’s in man, you know, things like that. So, just trying to um you know, study players um you know, just as much as and and just every week, you know, trying to play quarterback, you’re trying to see what see what they’re in before they show it. What do you think of their corner specifically JC Horn? Yeah, they’re great players. you know, you know, JC Horn, he played at a Carolina school, so, you know, know him. Um, you know, grew up and, uh, he’s a little older than me, but obviously great player. You know, he’s made some plays this year and he’s, uh, you know, one of those guys backside that is going to play into the boundary and and make it tough. He’s physical, he can play. He’s patient, you know, he’s, you know, got good ball skills. So, he’s one of those guys that, uh, you know, he’s he’s going to make it tough. And I think it’s something that, um, you can’t, you know, kind of eliminate that part of the field, but, you got to, you know, be careful with him. And, and the other side, um, you know, number two is a good player as well. of uh Stefon Dick’s three catches on Sunday resulted in first downs I believe. You’ve talked about what a great teammate he is. Where’s your level of trust with him especially situationally on the field? Yeah. Um you know we try to put him in in circumstances where he’s um you know getting the ball and an option to get the ball on on big plays. You know had a big third down catch. Um the first third down we had I should have probably should have thrown it to him. Um little things like that. We had a fourth down against Miami. He’s making plays. So, he’s in positions on on uh you know, key downs to make plays and I’m got full trust in him and he’s just keep showing it every week and I need to try to give him the ball more. I told him that you know today. Drake, when you talk about knowing when the play is over. Um are you is that just strictly a field thing because obviously you have the ability to create extend and then sometimes as you found out it kind of can lead to trouble too. just kind of we talk about in the quarterback room, you know, kind of when something something doesn’t feel right, you know, in whether in the pocket or with this play, all right, something I need to do, whether it’s throw it away or um get what I can to get down. Uh you just kind of that that kind of, you know, stop clock in your head and and um that shot clock just you just know, hey, something doesn’t feel right. All right, now you know some quarterbacks split their feet. I think sometimes you just feel like, okay, got to do something. So just knowing knowing that when it comes to the Panthers, what what is your favorite like all time memory? Favorite all time memory? Oo, that’s a that’s a good question. Um, I went to the Super Bowl uh when uh when they lost to to Pton Manning and then that was tough, but uh yeah, just that season and you know, I think it was 15-1. Um I was at that, you know, NFC championship game at home. Um you know, big- time win and uh just that just the the being a fan of of Cam, I think was probably the biggest memory, him coming out here and doing the airplane and um you know, hitting the cam. So just little things like that and getting to know him later on and and playing them. He uh coaches seven on seven team and playing them and playing against him and seeing stuff like that. So just getting to know some of the players around is pretty been pretty cool. Week four now. Uh do you feel like you’re getting more comfortable? Did you not get more comfortable just speaking up during planning meetings with with Coach Mc? Yeah, I think he’s I think they’re both, you know, they’re both great at at, you know, doing stuff that I’m comfortable with. And um I think that just continues to go, you know, more and more as we establish kind of what we are as an offense and on offense. And I think um yeah, just finding ways throughout the week where I can, hey, you know, mark this on the call sheet. Hey, I may like this out of this formation or maybe like this in the gun instead of under center. Just little things like that that just help him play more comfortable at the end of the day. You know, coach um you know, coach McDaniels and and Ray were all about that and I just, you know, continue to communicate and that’s only going to build throughout the year. Greg, you talking about kind of the differences between last year and this season. Um, looking at defensive studying tape, is your understanding of the defensive coordinator any different? Meaning, like, do you know his background like why he calls certain things? Is that the level that you’re getting to or you just saying? Yeah, I think it’s early. You know, I try to keep the uh, you know, the the notebooks from last year. I try to, you know, I’m I’m a pen and paper guy, so I try to keep a a stash of them. Um, you know, Jacobe was was big on you kind of let me know that at a young age, you know, keeping um keeping an idea of, hey, this is his tree or hey, this is what he like to do or he’s been here, you know, go back and watch some games there or um just little things like that. Just trying to, you know, soak up as uh, you know, as much as I can from other other players, other coaches who uh have ideas. And, uh, Coach McDaniel’s got game plan notebooks from years ago. So, uh, it’s pretty cool to look back and, um, it’s it’s always a little different because you they evolve and stuff like that. So, just be ready for that.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye addresses the media on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.

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