FOXBOROUGH - It took until Week 10 for a defensive coach, in this case Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles, to say the heck with sending extra pressure on Drake Maye. Instead, let's put as many guys in coverage as we can (or something close to it), and see what happens.
The approach - dropping eight in coverage or seven but using one of the droppers as a spy to stalk Maye - was different and more successful than most, even in a small sample size. You know what that should mean, considering the NFL is a copycat league - the Jets, and future opponents, will likely dabble in this style of defense.
"Yeah, just be patient," Maye said when asked about his thought process upon seeing these looks. "You know, we try to have a little bit of an answer, with kind of what they're heating us up with, but just to kind of see the front, see what they're doing, know what kind of package is coming in when they're bringing in more DBs and dropping out defensive linemen. But really, just you see more and more stuff, and some stuff you don't really - it isn't scouted, as they say - or you ever see much on film. So you just adapt on the sideline. And Coach McDaniels is one of the best in the business at it."
It wasn't as if the Buccaneers didn't dial up some of the pressure looks that Bowles is famous for, nor did they completely abandon the four-man rush in favor of adding to the coverage. In fact, in the first half, I only charted one such snap. It came on the Patriots' first drive, and the second third down of the series. Tampa showed an overload blitz against the left side of the Pats' offensive line. At the snap, both edge rushers attacked from a wide nine alignment, but the middle linebacker didn't take a step forward, and both defenders lined up inside the edge made like they were going to rush the passer, but instead peeled off to cover Hunter Henry and TreVeyon Henderson coming out of the backfield. That left Jared Wilson blocking no one, while both Garrett Bradbury to his right and Will Campbell to his left struggled in pass pro. Maye ended up missing Mack Hollins on a corner route, and the Pats had to punt.
Bowles went back to a similar look on the second series of the second half, again saving it for third down. This time, the Bucs showed four and only rushed three, with linebacker Levonte David spying Maye. Tampa had two defensive backs sitting at the sticks (it was 3rd and 9), and four others lurking close to that spot on the field. Maye was flushed from perceived pressure off Morgan Moses, running to his right. Kyle Williams broke off his route and may have been able to get over the top of the defense, but the scramble triggered David to attack the quarterback. Maye attempted a difficult throw, borderline crossbody, to Henry working in the opposite direction, and linebacker SirVocea Dennis was about a half-step from intercepting the pass. As it was, Dennis got a PBU and the Pats were punting again.
"I told Levonte David after the game, I can't run," Maye joked. "They don't need to spy me. But no, I think it takes one less defender for them to put in the pass. It's better for us. But at the same time, you've got to be cognizant of the spier. Know that he is kind of near the line of scrimmage, so you kind of have to have a guy there to block them, and you kind of just gotta have eyes on them and be mindful of what they're doing with games up front to know they could bait me into something. So, that's really the biggest thing."
Buoyed by the success of this look, Bowles called on it three more times in the second half. Maye took a quick checkdown to Henderson for a three-yard gain, never even looking down the field. Two snaps later, on third-and-10, with David again working as a spy, Maye had a clean pocket and a good throwing lane to rip a stop/curl to Hollins. The veteran receiver did an excellent job on his end, selling the defensive back on a vertical concept before driving back to an open area. Only one problem with the execution - Hollins unnecessarily sprang forward for the football, and in doing so, ended up a half-yard short of the sticks. Another punt.
The final rep came on the end zone interception. The Pats had three wideouts to the left, motioning Stefon Diggs to create a tight bunch. Diggs was a decoy, flashing his hands for a screen as he ran parallel to the line of scrimmage. Hollins immediately popped into the seam and was open for a tick, but there was a linebacker dropping into the throwing lane, and Maye decided he didn't like the look.
But instead of staying with the three-receiver side, the 23-year-old bailed to the right. Hollins adjusted to the scramble drill, racing along the back end line, while Henry, who was also a decoy but on the right side, worked into the flat. Neither man was open, and Maye was heated up by outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, who had been covering up Henry. Safety Tykee Smith picked up Henry in the flat, but read Maye's intentions, peeling off to undercut the throw to Hollins for a drive-killing pick.
That left Maye 2-for-5 for 12 yards and a turnover against this specific 3-man rush/spy look. If Aaron Glenn has half a brain, the Jets will throw in a fair share of these looks the Pats' way Thursday night. With no real practice time this week - every day is a walkthrough or something similar - Maye and the offense will have to show they can apply what they learned on Sunday and in the film room and put it into action. The good news is that every time Maye has an issue that pops up, he's managed to correct it the next time he plays.