It’s been a very lackluster start to the season for the New England Patriots, a team that made the Super Bowl a year ago and had high hopes entering this year.
For a Patriots team expected to be above average, there’s a lot that needs to be fixed over the next couple of weeks. The Patriots haven’t played well, and some of that falls on quarterback Drake Maye.
That’s not to say everything has been Maye’s fault, as injuries and other factors are at play, but he needs to be better, and he recognizes that.
Speaking to reporters about how he’s played to start the year and how he can fix things, he identified some areas that are simpler than anybody has discussed.
Instead of focusing on the big plays and other things the Patriots haven’t been able to accomplish, he spoke about starting games on the right foot and taking what the defense gives him.
“I think starting fast as a football team,” Maye said when asked about his biggest area of focus, per the Globe. “We had a good jump last week, and had a chance right there to make a big play, and we ended up having a turnover on the first possession.
“[This week] I think one of the biggest things for us to start fast, and especially for myself: find some completions early. And also don’t be shy from trying to take what they give you, [and] also stretch the field.”
Taking what a defense gives a quarterback early in games can build confidence for a young player like Maye.
While he’s undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he’s still a young guy figuring out some aspects of the league, despite his previous success.
Taking checkdowns early in games to pick up a couple of yards here and there is important, and it sounds like he’s going to try to do more of that moving forward.
The Patriots haven’t left themselves much leeway because of how difficult their schedule is, so he’ll have to figure that out.
More Patriots