FOXBOROUGH - Drake Maye is continuing to progress through concussion protocol. The rookie was on the field and participating at the beginning of Thursday's practice, leading the quarterback in individual drills. That's a change from the day before when Maye was not seen during the media-availability portion of the session.
Under the watchful eyes of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, Evan Rothstein, and later Ben McAdoo, Maye operated at a high tempo, first rolling right and throwing on the run, then doing the same to the left side. Later, out of the shotgun, he threw back-to-back passes rapid fire, one outside the numbers, then one over the middle. Staffers were on the receiving end of those passes.
Kendrick Bourne and Austin Hooper eventually joined the quarterbacks. Bourne was positioned as if he was running an out or comeback, and Hooper was planted in the hurl/curl zone between would-be linebackers. The ball came out quickly and accurately, and Maye didn't skip a turn, with Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton following.
Based on his activity, it would appear that Maye has advanced to stage four of the five-stage return-to-play protocol. In speaking with team sources, I got the sense that they were cautious with the first-round pick this past weekend. As I reported yesterday, he was experiencing no ill effects from the helmet-to-helmet hit to the back of his head by Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood. However, Jerod Mayo is unavailable for the media on Thursday, and Van Pelt wasn't about to elaborate on the 22-year-old's status.
"I'm not going to discuss injured players. That's my stance on that," he said. "He is in the protocol. (We'll) let the training staff handle all that. He did show up yesterday at practice and did some limited things on the field, but that's about where I'll leave. Hopefully, he's progressing. Very hopeful that things keep going in the way they're trending. But you know, again, that's not my area."
Progress is an interesting word because in that answer, Van Pelt is using it to describe Maye's health, but later, the long-time NFL assistant delved into some aspects of Maye's growth as a player that shows improvement the more he plays.
"He's getting better every week," Van Pelt said. "Decision-making is exceptional. He knows where to go with the football. Some of the stuff he does in practice, understanding where he's going to be hot, how to handle some of the pressure issues, that gets better every week. The throws down the field in practice, the accuracy he shows on some of the deeper throws, that's been there and continues to be there.
"Just the maturation of a young quarterback, finding something to get better at every week. I thought there were some areas that he could improve on from the London game, and we addressed those during the week. Expect to see those show up as we continue."
Maye's athleticism has also given the offense a spark, and he had the longest running play in Sunday's game - the 18-yard scramble he was hurt on. He also used his legs to score the game's first touchdown, reaching speeds just over 20 MPH on the 17-yard scoring jaunt. I've written in this space a number of times that you don't want to chain Maye to the pocket, and the offensive coordinator seems aligned with that thought process.
"You'd hate to take that away from a player. That's a strength of his, that ability to move out of the pocket. The one thing we talked about was being safe in the slide. Oftentimes, you get into space, and you feel like you're clean, and you can go feet first, which is what we coach in open space. But again, you never know what's coming behind.
"So, you know, the quarterbacks that avoid injury, oftentimes, will find a soft place by going head first and just getting down in that regard. So something we continue to work on with him is just understanding what's around you in those situations."
Clearly, the team walks a fine line with the inexperienced Maye, and one way they can take some of the hits off his plate is by how they call the game. You may have noticed Van Pelt hasn't dialed up any designed quarterback runs. There's been no QB power, draws, or run-first boots. The rationale is simple.
"I've been in systems where you have quarterback runs and led to (a) season-ending injury," he said. "So, I know the value of that position. High leverage situations, fourth and one game on the line, maybe, but he's going to make enough plays outside the pocket in a normal drop-back game or play-action game where he scrambles. So, again, ultimately, it's that balance of protecting your quarterback. I have to protect them as well as (they) have to protect themselves."
Hopefully, Maye will learn that with time, understanding that while he's a terrific athlete, so are the guys getting paid on the other side of the ball. Though I've compared his playmaking ability and overall rawness coming into the league to Josh Allen, he's not built like Josh. Few, if any, are. Perhaps in a year or two, he could be a 240-pounder and still maintain his speed, but for now, he's a pretty skinny kid at 225 (ish), and it behooves him and the team to control what they can control when it comes to contact. It's still a physical game. He will still get hit, but it's wise to limit or eliminate the designed runs at this juncture of his career. No need to add any more risk to this equation.