Despite an eighth loss in 11 games, there is hope in New England. He stands about 6-foot-4 and change, and tips the scales around 225 pounds. 22-year-old Drake Maye played his best football on Sunday, a week after playing his worst in Chicago.
"I feel good about the trajectory that he's going at," Jerod Mayo told WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' the morning after a 28-22 defeat to the Rams. "I would also say, as you...continue to be excited - it is exciting to have a quarterback go out there and play like that - we need to continue to manage our expectations and realize that he is a rookie quarterback. Hopefully, he continues on this trajectory, because that will help us become a good football team."
Maye completed 75% of his passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. And yes, the miscommunication with DeMario Douglas on the game-sealing interception mars what could have been an epic comeback (the Pats trailed 28-13 in the 4th quarter); Maye's play drew praise from my former colleague, NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who shared with me via text that this was "easily" the rookie's best game.
"I also feel he has played well every game. Still, things to work on, but his understanding of his reads, decision-making, and anticipation has been really good."
Alex Van Pelt, in particular, and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo are doing a fine job developing Maye. This is why last week's report by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer that ownership was calling around to see how they could best support their young signal-caller has appeared to have gotten under the skin of Mayo and Van Pelt.
"Yet we sit here and say he's developing at a good trajectory. So can we all agree on that?" asked Mayo this morning. "So, like, all those reports are false. They're all false. None of those reports are true. "
“I have a good feel for how to get him ready, and I think it’s shown so far," said Van Pelt during his appearance on the 'Jones and Keefe' show Friday. "So, not worried about that at all. I’m here to develop Drake Maye, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Of course, Mayo helped open this line of conversation with repeated references to the Patriots' offensive scheme needing to be better, which I've written about before (most recently last week). Perhaps this is now a case of overacting or an overcorrection on his part, but the first-year head coach took up for the veteran assistant this morning.
"The one thing that being a head coach, I need to make sure I do a good job protecting our coordinators, our coaches, and also the players on the field," said Mayo. "And so when you hear one person, 'Oh, you know, Drake's not developing,' and another person, 'Oh, well, Drake's a great place.' Like, who do you think's responsible for that? It's Alex Van Pelt. He's responsible for that. And so, why even call around to ask how to develop a quarterback? Yeah, everyone in the New England area - you just said Sean McVay on the West Coast - is like, hey, this guy's developing at a good rate, and he's going to be a good football player in this league. Yeah. That, to me, is the frustrating piece."
This is why Mayo again asserted the report is false later in that radio interview, even if our reporting (and Breer's) tells you those calls have been made. He doth protest too much, methinks.
"Who made the calls?" he asked before citing open lines of communication with the Krafts.
However, a case could be made that Mayo is trying to change the narrative around his offensive coordinator as the team enters the final third of the season, knowing that Maye's development remains on the front burner for everyone - fans, media, and ownership alike. And if the first-round pick continues to blossom, there might be a few more wins on the horizon, and that not only benefits the franchise but solidifies Mayo's standing heading into year two.