Bedard: Practice some patience - that goes for you too, Vrabes - when it comes to Maye, Patriots offense

PLANTATION, Fla. — I originally picked the Patriots to finish 9-8, and that included an 0-3 start to the season, before we all discovered the Dolphins might have been imploding before the season kicked off.

But after enduring this week that felt like 17 days, all the New England hysteria and overreaction from one freaking game, I really wish I hadn't predicted the 0-fer start. Frankly, I can't handle another week of this, if this is how everyone is going to react to one loss to a Raiders team that might be better than we thought, and an opponent that was a complete unknown due to staff and personnel changes.

And that goes for Mike Vrabel, as well, who spent the week taking subtle little jabs about the offense and then having to walk them back later, as if Jerod Mayo was giving him public speaking tips. 

Can everyone just take a breath for a second? For crying out loud, I know back-to-back four-win seasons have traumatized the region's psyche, and getting fired and not having a team to coach for a year might have dented Vrabel's ego a bit, but can everyone act like we've been here before ... just a little? Is everyone that spoiled?

I mean, all the discourse this week, from Drake Maye's plate, to how this offense may not suit him, Josh McDaniels doesn't understand how to use him, how they didn't run the ball enough, to whether or not Maye is a bust, has all been way too much. I know talk radio has a show to do today, but you don't have to fuel their self-serving hysteria.

They've played one game! After one game, Mayo was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Everyone just needs to chill the eff out for a bit.

Here's a little dose of reality:

 • I don't know what some of you had in mind since the starting offense looked like crap in their two preseason games, but what the Patriots did on offense in Week 1 wasn't all that bad when you look around the league. Patriots are currently 12th in total offense (365 yards), and 18th in yards per play (4.94) - ahead of some pretty good offenses with a lot of experience coming back.

There are 14 teams that have failed to eclipse 300 total yards, including the Rams, Packers, Texans, Bucs, Vikings, Lions, Dolphins and Bengals.

There must be a lot of bust talk in those cities, especially with Joe Burrow and all his great weapons that they paid.

I'm not saying what the Patriots did against the Raiders was good - and really only points (13) matter - but it was a far cry from the debacle that some made it out to be.

 • Drake Maye has started 11 games now and is in a new system, which means he is basically a rookie. This was the first time he had an opportunity to operate the scheme in anything remotely close to live game action. The players around him were executing the scheme at full speed for the first time, and the coaches were learning how they reacted for the first time.

Hey, I would love for the players to play a ton in the preseason to work out some kinks, but that's simply not going to happen in today's NFL - teams are too afraid of injuries. It's just the way it is, so expect most NFL offenses to underperform for about a month.

 • Can a young QB just have a subpar game?

Maye missed some easy throws, Demario Douglas dropped another one, and Maye missed some reads. It happens, especially with Maye, who probably came out of the womb airmailing the doctor. Why can't we just say that in his first season opening start, Maye never quite settled down but he still found a way to make some good plays?

Why does it have to devolve, after just one game, into some kind of referendum about the scheme and his comfort and whether Maye's mind is cluttered by ... you know, playing QB in the NFL, which is the hardest job in sports?

Did everyone just forget that Josh Allen was WAY worse than this in his first two seasons in this system with Brian Daboll? It's going to take as long as it's going to take. You have to hold your water, like the Bills did.

The Patriots, Vrabel and McDaniels are attempting to build a franchise quarterback that can win Super Bowls — and a lot stuff goes into that.

That's not going to take one game, or eight ... it's going to take years.

If you ever find yourself wondering why X, Y and Z aren't happening yet for Maye and you start to get frustrated, think about Allen and his 52.8% and 58.8% completion percentages and all his turnovers his first two years — when he didn't have to change systems like Maye, mind you — and realize that timetables are different for everyone. 

 • Breaking news ... the reason they didn't use Maye's legs more in the opener was because a) the Raiders made it a priority to limit his running (and TreVeyon Henderson in space) by playing almost exclusively zone coverage to keep eyes on Maye, and sometimes with a spy.

You know those great designed runs or even scrambles you have in your mind for Maye, where the QB goes running for like 35 yards? Yeah, that almost always happens against man coverage when the defenders have their backs to the QB. I guarantee you that if the Raiders did that, Maye would have had a big run or two. They didn't, so he didn't. Doesn't mean the system is flawed.

Oh, and by the way, Maye isn't helping himself by continuing to have horrible play-action fakes, and he had two opportunities — his keeper, and a read-option toss — to bait the defender more to open up a bigger play, but he didn't. Why? Probably because he hasn't tried one of those plays with NFL players bearing down on him. It takes reps to get this stuff.

 • The lack of big plays happened mostly because the Patriots never taxed the Raiders enough to get them out of zone, and into more risky calls. That happened because the run game execution was crap - probably because there are four new linemen, including two rookies playing next to each other who couldn't execute a double-team block - so the Raiders never played downhill. 

Oh, speaking of the running game, let me address Vrabel, Mr. "we'll need a more consistent and fine-tuned run plan that we believe in" who thinks that sometimes they just need to line up and run the ball - which actually isn't a bad idea, but it's not that simple. I know you spent last year with the o-line in Cleveland, but I'm sure a lot of this had to do with experience in Tennessee. Well, lay-de-dah .... you had an offensive line of Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis and Jack Conklin ... and, oh yeah, you had DERRICK FREAKING HENRY at running back. I bet you just lined up and ran the ball at their ass.

Do you see that kind of talent here? Me neither. The other 31 teams have to employ a little more finesse in their calls. Welcome to the other side, Michael.

Speaking of Vrabel, doesn't he have plenty to tend to on his side of the football? Wait, I think the Patriots just blitzed again and gave up their 37th pass play over 20 yards to Geno Smith. Didn't hear much about that this week. Oh, and the special teams were horrendous, too. BTW, after Week 1, the offense is 22nd in DVOA, the defense is 27th, and the special teams are 28th.

Look, what I'm saying is this — especially grooming a very young and inexperienced quarterback — is going to take time on offense.

The last time McDaniels was here, the Patriots started 1-3 in 2021 with a rookie, Mac Jones, at quarterback. The Patriots averaged 17.8 points in those four games, 311.8 total yards, 243.3 passing yards and 68.5 on the ground.

From that point on (taking out the Buffalo wind game), the Patriots averaged 31.4 points, 376.7 total yards, 238.8 passing yards and 137.9 rushing yards.

No matter what you think of that season, given hindsight, it's a 100 percent fact that the quarterback and the offense continued to grow the more reps they got in the system.

I can't tell you this is all definitely going to work. I can't tell you the Patriots are not going to lose on Sunday. And Maye may again turn the ball over and have some issues.

This is going to take time. Everyone, even the head coach, needs to realize that. You can fan how you want, but I recommend looking at this season in four-game increments, instead of 17 one-game seasons.

Your stress level will thank you, and so will I.