Drake Maye on Playing the Bills: “This is a Great Checkpoint to See What We Got.” | Press Conference

Drake Maye on Playing the Bills: “This is a Great Checkpoint to See What We Got.” | Press Conference

All righty. How’s it going? Going pretty good. How are y’all? Good. What do you see from this Bill’s defense that will give you a challenge Sunday night? Yeah. Um, you know, he’s played together for a while. Um, you know, I think they got a few new pieces. Um, you know, but a lot of the same guys have making plays there for for a while now. Um, you know, Bernard’s good player. You know, I don’t know if we’ll see if Oliver’s back. Um, he’s a he’s a good player up front. Boss has been a good addition for him. um in the back end, you know, they’ve had some guys that they’ve had play there for a while for why he’s been there for a while. Um they’re all instinctive, you know, rap and um the young safety um started to play a lot for him. They’ve played together. They gel well. Um they got good scheme. They know what they’re doing. Um they’re coached well. Um so we got a tough challenge. We got a tough challenge and um you know, we’ll be ready for it. We’re on the road so it’s going to be tough environment and uh we’re excited for it. Is there any extra charge for you getting to play a prime time game? Yeah, it’s always a little extra juice playing prime time. You know, everybody’s watching um you know, playing a division opponent. That’s um you know, where we’re, you know, what coach R seems where we want to go, you know, where we want to be at. You know, the Bills have been the past couple years and contenders and um you know, winning the division and and playing well at home. They’ve won, I think you said, 14 straight if that’s right, but um at home. So, it’s it’s a tough environment and and like I said, they’re a great football team with uh you know, some great players. So, you know, we got a full uh got our hands full, but uh I think we’re excited anytime you’re on prime time and um we got you kind of waiting the whole day for the game and um you know, under the lights. So, it’ll be pretty pretty sweet. Josh Allen said you guys have a relationship. Where did you meet him? When did that be? Yeah, I got to know him um you know, through the through the same, you know, known through the same uh same agency. Um got to know him and um you know, we share a lot of the same things. We like playing golf and um you know, just just hopefully uh you know, he’s very down to earth. like to say I’m down to earth, but uh no, he’s a great, you know, great uh great player. Gotly it’s fun watching him. Um he makes some plays, you know, every week that you’re like, man, that’s pretty cool. So, uh he’s MVP of the league and um you know, sadly um sadly say it’s fun to watch him, but you know, we got to, you know, play him on Sunday. So, um it’s a little different mindset. As another quarterback, what have you learned from him over the course of your career that maybe taken a thing here or there when it comes to helping you develop? Yeah, I think he’s just the ultimate um you know, he wants the ball in his hands, you know, to win the game. um you know with the game on the line, you know, the balls and um you know Josh has hand a lot. He ends up making the play. Uh that’s what I’ve learned and he’s so versatile. I think that’s what you know makes so tough on on defense is um you what he can do and extend plays, play in the pocket. Um you know, running in the running game, you he has extra hat and um he’s commanding the offense, I think. Um he’s he’s been doing that for a while at a at a very high level and um like I said, it’s fun to watch, but uh you know, now we’re we’re playing against him. compared your play style to Josh Allen’s. Um, I’m just curious, uh, have you watched any of his films specifically to learn from like maybe the way he plays or just have you kind of tried to take away anything from Yeah, I mean, you watch a lot of the same tape, you know, being in the division, you know, you see the Bills, you know, show up a lot and they kind of have a um, same type of offense and um, no, I mean, anytime you watch those um, quarterbacks around the league playing a high level like that, you try to, you know, learn something um, you know, learn how he’s, you know, looking off defenders or learn uh, what he’s doing um, you know, with his pump fakes on when he’s out in the perimeter, you stuff like that that he’s so good at. So, um and just uh yeah, I mean from there he just he’s he’s great throwing it down the field and and uh you know, great at, like I said, extending plays and and moving guys and scrambled drill. So, he’s great. So, when it comes to moving defenders with your eyes, how much of that is a pre- snap kind of determination you’re making and how much of that is post snap based on what you get? Yeah, it’s a little bit of both. I think pre- snap there’s some some route combinations that you know that are um setting up, hey, we got something here on concept on the right. Let me try to hold this backside um hook defender or uh we got a high low on a flat defender. Let me try to give him my eyes to the low or or still things like that. Some of it’s kind of post snap and depends if we see the you know depends what covers they’re playing and some of it’s pre- snap. Hey, I know I got to do something with this player because he’s where’s you know the concept is end up trying to hit. Drake, they haven’t lost the turnover battle 26 straight games. What about that kind of speaks to you and what you’ll have to do? Yeah, don’t beat ourselves. I think that’s been our mindset um since what happened, you know, in Pittsburgh, you know, two weeks ago. um you know don’t don’t beat ourselves any that’s what happened you know last year at their place you know I think we had a chance at him um shoot it was 14 14 I think we fumbled and then obviously the touchdown we gave up on the on the backwards pass um yeah so I think just you know don’t beat ourselves and I think um just playing our identity and and know we can play with anybody if you don’t do that but uh no I think they’re definitely you know getting the ball out and they do a great job in zone defense of having their eyes on me and playing off my eyes I think you said in the past you know you don’t tend to show a ton of emotion on the field maybe you’d like to try to do a little bit more of You saw a little celebration after your touchdown run the other end. You feel like you’re getting more comfortable expressing yourself on the field or showing that emotion. No doubt. I think that’s comes with winning some games too. You know, feel like you’ve done something. Um and I think it it it shows, you know, those guys want to see, you know, the hard work we put in, you know, it come um you’ll come to life and end up, you know, proving something. And I think those guys work hard and um yeah, to try to get some extra juice or bring some extra juice in the huddle. I think, you know, just trying to do as much as I can to get get the guys feeling good and um like I said, show some emotion. Those guys enjoy it when I um you know, have a little fun out there. So, Drake, you you mentioned last year’s game. Just what do you remember about the environment going in there in that stadium? Yeah, I think it was a 425 game maybe. Um so, end up turning into night. Uh basically a night game there um with um how dark it gets up here um in the north. So, uh no shoot, I remember, you know, being it was freezing cold. I remember that. Um, and then, uh, other than that, um, yeah, just the atmosphere, you know, it’s in Buffalo. Um, their fans are, um, you know, very hostile and I think that’s the energy that they want and the the home environment speaks to what the record’s been at home. So, uh, yeah, hostile environment. It was cold, you know, last time we went there. Remember up in the locker room at halftime and everybody was was regrouping uh trying to get ready for the cold, but uh, yeah, I think a little bit better weather this time, but uh, you know, I think playing on silent count is is going to be huge. um you know knowing that and from there um yeah I think just shoot I think they’re going to be you know they’re one of the best teams in the league so we got our hands full you know going up to their place how helpful is it to have Josh you know he obviously has a long history of playing this defense and this system just being able to kind of pick his brain about you know the scheme as a whole yeah it’s awesome he’s played him you know a bunch of times um but it’s also vice versa they’ve played him a bunch of times so they know um kind of his you know what they what he likes to do And um you know I think Buffalo does a good job of you know disguise and trying to mix it up for for me and and uh you know for for run looks and for pass looks and um they do a good job of mixing that and doing what they do and um I think it’s um you know most time they’re going to be a four down front and kind of play and I think um their safeties do a good job. I think they’re kind of doing a good job disguising but uh yeah just trying to watch tape on their guys and um they got some new pieces in there. So, um, but but most of them a lot of the same from last year. You’ve been complimented of your offensive line consistently with Ben Brown in particular. Last year he joined the team and on a minute’s notice basically starts at center. You worked with him there, gets to start at left guard this past weekend. Just overall your impressions of him and how he’s responded to his opportunities. Yeah, just stepping up. You know, he comes in here, you know, ready to go. um he knows that um shoot one of the you know inside three gets goes down he’s he’s in the game so he’s he takes that um takes that to heart and he he works really hard he’s got to know you know center position he’s got to know guard he’s got a he’s got a lot on his plate and he does a great job preparing and it speaks to last year having to get ready soon and and real fast getting came in on Wednesday and started on Sunday so um yeah it speaks to you know what his care for and um I think that that O line room is really jelling and caring about each other so I think that’s you know part of it too coach said after the game on Sunday. You know, hopefully we’ll find out where we’re at talking about this game in Buffalo. Knowing how good they are, what do you expect to learn about your team and if you guys do win, what would that mean? Yeah, it’s a great gauge for us, you know, see how much um you kind of see see, like I said, see what we got, you know, see what we uh you know, we’re competing on the road in a tough environment and uh you know, one of the first times we’ll do that as a team and um see, you know, battling through um you know, playing four quarters of football, that’s going to matter. Playing on the road, four quarters matters. you can’t just play half and um you can’t just show up, you know, at the beginning and and at the end, but playing, you know, full four quarters and go into a hostile environment and uh bringing our own energy. You know, not going to be many past fans. Uh but, you know, we do travel well, so hopefully there will be. And then from there, like I said, just uh also not taking as a you know, endall beall for for for this week. You know, you got a lot long season ahead, but this is a a great um you know, great uh kind of checkpoint to see um you know, what we got and what we can handle. So, thank you guys.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye addresses the media on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

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