FOXBOROUGH - Yes, the Patriots routed the Commanders in Friday night's preseason opener. But the very first series of the game for Drake Maye ended poorly. Protection broke down along the left side of the offensive line, and instead of wisely throwing the ball away and living to fight another down, the second-year quarterback tried to make a play. It backfired. Maye fumbled, giving Washington the ball on the Pats' side of the 50.
"That was a bad decision," said Mike Vrabel.
The head coach wasn't wrong, and it's something he's trying to hammer home with Maye, who is still learning. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels hopes that his young signal caller figures out how to walk that fine line.
"Hopefully it won't be a tough line to straddle," said McDaniels to reporters today. "I think he's still learning all of those things. He's such a gifted athlete. I think a lot of guys that play this position, that have ability to throw it, but also to move and make plays with their legs and extend plays, they have to find that line themselves.
"Honestly, we can tell them all we want. Don't make a bad play, you know, I mean, and I'll be the first one in the end zone when he extends a play. We all saw the one to Pop (Douglas) early in training camp. If I were telling him to throw that away, I'd have been pissed at myself. I would say this: he's definitely more aware as we go into this training camp and the next practice and all that. You saw him slide a couple of times the other night, which was great. So again, there's a fine line between holding onto the ball too long in certain situations and then doing the right thing to help the team."
That answer - and the questions it raises - goes back to the conversation we started having last year, albeit with a different coaching staff. That group wanted to keep Maye out of harm's way as much as possible and decided not to call many designed runs. McDaniels has already told his quarterbacks he wants their legs to be a threat. However, part of that calculus - and perhaps part of the reservation - will be for Maye to prove to them he's capable of making the prudent decision far more than he's not. That's why his sliding against the Commanders was an encouraging step, even if the turnover prior was not.
Today, McDaniels was asked if he/Vrabel had a number of carries in mind for Maye.
"We haven't talked about that," he said. But I think he had 400 and some yards rushing last year on no design runs. So the reality is those loose plays are hard to predict when they're going to come up. Like the other night, we didn't call a pass play for him to scramble for a first down, but he did, and it was a good play. So I think he has to understand when there's nothing there and he has an opening, what to do with the ball. He's really improving in that area, and understanding his value to the team is when he's helped.
"And so I think that's what we're all talking about. Players that have the ability to do both, they have to be smart about it, because Coach Vrabel always says, 'Go protect the team.' Whether you play running back and protect the ball, or you make a great decision off the field, or you're the quarterback and you scramble and decide to slide. All of those things are protecting the team. And so Drake is definitively looking to try to do that."
Maye's decision-making will be put to the test during the joint practices out in Minnesota this week, as well as the game on Saturday. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores lords over a group that finished second in DVOA last season, and based on the moves they made this offseason, are even more talented this year. That's why the Pats spent a good portion of Monday's practice working against a scout team that was attempting to replicate the amorphous looks they'll see starting on Wednesday.
"I've seen some offenses come in there for joint practices with not a lot of game plan for it, and it's been an absolute disaster," noted center Garrett Bradbury on Sunday.
"They'll line up in different spots," added McDaniels, "they'll pressure us in different ways that maybe our defense hasn't yet, and it's just great to go up there and get tested. What happens in these practices is you find out how well you know your rules, because you can't anticipate everything. We're not going to have three days of meetings and three practices, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, to get ready to play them... I'm sure we're going to learn a lot."
Considering the amount of presnap responsibilities that are on Maye's plate, this will be a great measuring stick of where he is mentally, and then once a play breaks down - and it will - if these messages that seem to be playing on loop from the head coach and through the OC, are actually getting through.
PRACTICE NOTES
There wasn't much competition in this practice, as the Patriots took a lighter day before heading to Minnesota for two joint practices. They were in shells, and most of the team periods were against scouting cards as they prepared for the Vikings (mostly Brian Flores' complicated defense, with some specific defenders represented on the scout teams).
There was situational work at the end, and it did not go well forMaye and the offense. It was ugly, the ball was on the ground a lot, there was a delay of game against Maye, but I'm not sure what to make of that whole period. It was all over the place.
Notable personnel updates:
- Kyle Dugger was still with the second team, almost exclusively.
- Demontrey Jacobs was demoted to third string.
- Marcus Bryant was back at practice, but he was at right tackle with Vederian Lowe at left tackle.
- Sidy Sow was back, but third team RG.
- Andy Borregales was 2 of 4 (had one team miss from 59 yards as well), Parker Romo 1 of 4.
Attendance: OUT - Christian Gonzalez, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, Jahlani Tavai, Kendrick Bourne, Elijah Ponder, Joshua Farmer, Marte Mapu, DJ James, Deneric Prince, Ja’Lynn Polk.
The Patriots signed veteran run-stuffing DT Kyle Peko, 32 (played for Vrabel twice, OC Josh McDaniels, and DC Terrell Williams), and released DTBryce Ganious.
— Greg A. Bedard
