FOXBOROUGH - Josh McDaniels has been entrusted with the Patriots' most important player, one who could elevate the franchise's fortunes for years to come. He's coached Drake Maye hard this spring and summer, and as they close in on the season-opener, McDaniels was asked what his expectations were for the 23-year-old signal caller.
"High," he responded, later adding, "I couldn't ask Drake to do more than what he's doing. He's trying to understand exactly what we're doing, really, in trying to be as well-versed as he can on what we know from the Raiders..."
To do that, McDaniels has given Maye plenty of film to digest, including the Patriots' Super Bowl win over Pete Carroll's Seahawks and another game against Seattle during the COVID season. Pete, of course, is now in his first year leading Las Vegas, although he retained former McDaniels defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who also spent time in New England as an assistant before serving as DC in Miami and New York with the Giants.
"I think it's great having Coach McDaniels, who's played against this defense and knows some extra little tidbits for me to know, whether it's in the huddle or before on this play," said Maye. "He's played against them and seen them, and I think it's great to have that in the room, trying to get on the same page with him as what he's seeing and try to catch up as much as I can to his level. I'm not going to get there, but try to. Just an understanding of, ‘Hey, I think they're going to do this,’ or ‘Hey, this is what I think they're going to be in.’ Then from there, yeah, watching old games, watching Cam Newton, watching Tom [Brady] in the Super Bowl was pretty cool."
It's not everything Maye will see on Sunday. Especially considering Carroll was out of the league last year, and Graham doesn't come from that defensive tree that mastered cover three to the point where football people referred to it as the Seattle three. There will be wrinkles.
"Just try to subject our guys to a little bit of, hey, you know, historically, they've done a little bit of this, they've done a little bit of that," said McDaniels. "When you add that, when you add Patrick Graham in there and all the things Patrick's done, I mean, you've got a Rubik's Cube, you know?"
By my count, McDaniels coordinated an offense five* times versus Carroll. The 2012 "You mad, bro" game, the 2014-15 Super Bowl, 2016-17 regular season game at Gillette, the 2020-21 game, and also in his first year as the HC of the Raiders in 2022. Here are the numbers:
24-24 loss, Tom Brady 36-of-58, 395 yards passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
28-24 win, Tom Brady 37-of-50, 328 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
31-24 loss, Tom Brady 23-of-32, 316, 1 INT
35-30 loss, Cam Newton 30-of-44, 397 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
40-34 win, Derek Carr 25-of-36, 295 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
If Carroll has Graham work primarily out of cover 3, Maye could have a field day with quick throws that allow his receivers to run after the catch. Sounds simple, but Maye didn't always take the profit last year. That's been a recurring coaching point this year, and if words predict future actions, the kid QB is ready.
"Don't bypass the first guy open," said Maye on a question about neutralizing a pass rush led by Maxx Crosby. "I see [someone] open, trying to hunt a deeper one. The running backs can help in the protection; I think little things like that. I think scheme, me just getting us in the right plays, knowing when he's one-on-one and knowing when we have help to him."
When pressed if he was comfortable enough in this "new" scheme to be that player, Maye answered in the affirmative.
"I think that's part of what we watch film for. That's part of what we come out here and practice for is knowing check downs and knowing, ‘Hey, my first look, if they're giving it to me, take it.’ That’s part of playing quarterback in this league, finding completions, and I feel confident in myself. I feel like, at times, last year, when I got the ball out on time and I got the ball to the right guy, we moved the ball well. So, I think just trying to start off this season with that mindset."
It certainly helps Maye to have an experienced coordinator who has seen just about everything there is to see, not just to help guide the quarterback, but the entire offense. Last year, the cohesion on the offensive staff was lacking. This year, that same issue hasn't shown up, and that should be beneficial, especially in a week filled with so many unknowns and the anxiety that comes with it.
"I think opening day is really more about yourself and trusting your rules," said McDaniels. "And how well have you ingrained those rules into your team so that whenever you get a look defense, a blitz, a coverage, you just, you trust that you know what to do, and then you just got to follow your rules.
"And I think the second part of opening day is it's, I think it's always about making an adjustment. You know, you're going to have to, you're going to see some things that force you to turn left or right, you know, as soon as you kind of see it becoming a pattern. And then, you know, how quickly can you do it, and how well can you acclimate to what the game's actually becoming?"
McDaniels has proven he can do that. Now we'll see if the quarterback can join him.