FOXBOROUGH - The plot thickens
Guess who didn’t practice for the Patriots today after being limited on Wednesday and Thursday? Yep, none other than quarterback Drake Maye.
However, his absence wasn’t just right shoulder-related. The 23-year-old is also sick.
"We've had a lot of guys over the last month, six weeks here, with illness,” Mike Vrabel said post-practice. “So, again, just trying to do what's best for the player and the team. I'm trying to take care of guys - don't spread anything,"
Maye was, however, in meetings before the team worked out in shoulder pads and helmets. This was the Pats' final session here in Foxborough. Tomorrow, they board a jet and head to Santa Clara, California, for the week-plus-long preparations for LX.
All of this is less than ideal for Maye and the Pats. He hadn’t missed a practice all season prior to today. Vrabel estimates that the game plan for 1st-, 2nd and 3rd-down situations has already been installed this week, and that next week will focus more on situational football and, if something crops up, on modifications to the current plan.
“Practice is important,” Vrabel said, not dismissing this missed time for his quarterback. “There are things that come up that again - there are other ways to prepare. A lot of today was a lot of carryover from yesterday, just in more, I guess, a little faster pace...”
As for how Maye’s shoulder held up after lighter-than-normal work on Thursday, Vrabel told us “favorably. Yeah, he was fine."
BEDARD HERE: As I've reported previously, there's nothing seriously wrong with Maye's throwing shoulder. It's just normal bumps and bruises associated with a 20-game schedule, which included three-straight games against tough, hard-hitting defenses. The Patriots wanted to take advantage of the bye week to get Maye a little rest with a lighter schedule. He's expected to be full-go in Santa Clara. A fourth team source confirmed that there are zero concerns within the walls of One Patriot Place about Maye's throwing shoulder. It did not impact the Broncos game, and there are no limitations for the Super Bowl. Maye did not play well against the Broncos, but that had nothing to do with anything physical, two team sources said.
With Maye out of practice, Joshua Dobbs got the starter reps. He threw 10 passes all season (completing 7 for 65 yards) but has started 15 games since entering the league as a 4th round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His locker is right next to Maye’s, and he commanded quite the media crowd. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he hasn’t seen a crowd like this since the preseason.
“Today was pretty status quo outside the reps in practice,” Dobbs said when asked if he had connected with Maye in the morning. “I've been in Pittsburgh, and I've seen that's not - it's not a weird thing. It happens sometimes through the ebbs and flows of the NFL season. Lucky for us, it hasn't happened up until this point. So, of course, it's going to be talked about. But the preparation, the film study, the communication, has still been the exact same throughout the weekend, and he'll be ready to go on Sunday.”
In order to last this long in the league, and to be called upon a number of times - including on short notice (see his Minnesota stint in 2023) - Dobbs not only has to be a fast learner, but also have the mental toughness to prepare as a starter even when the backup almost never gets real reps during the week of practice.
“Oh, for sure, for sure,” he said. “That's just the nature of the position. It does take some mental fortitude, without a doubt, and the biggest thing is just not getting bored, right? And still approaching each day with the same consistency, because you blink one day and you're in there, and all the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of everyone in the building are shifted onto another person. And so, I mean, I don’t run from that, right? You embrace that with how you approach your film study, how you approach each meeting, how you approach a game day, how you approach everything. Because you know, if you always stay ready, you're never have to get ready.”
Dobbs has had a front-row seat to Maye’s development this season. He’s been as impressed as anybody by what he’s seen, but also offered insight into the growth of a team that was expected to be improved, but not expected to be here.
“He's been good,” he said, “He's grown each and every week. I think we've all seen that, and it's been great to watch that progression, you know, from the time we got here in OTAs and we were both learning the offense to now, getting ready for the Super Bowl. A lot of steps have been taken in the right direction, and it's been exciting to watch.
“It's been exciting to watch the offense come together for a lot of new guys and new faces in this locker room. And each week, guys have really come together and embraced being a family, growing together, and understanding each other off the field. I think that's allowed us to bond and come closer together on the field. It shows in our play. It shows in the love we have for each other in the locker room, and in how guys talk, hang out, and interact. And then, most importantly, it shows in how we attack each and every Sunday. It will be on full display next week.”
ODDS AND ENDS
- Robert Spillane (ankle) and Harold Landry (knee) remained out of practice. Vrabel would not speak on their potential availability for the Super Bowl. For Spillane, it appears to be a re-aggravation of the ankle injury that kept him sidelined for a month.
- Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby appeared on a podcast earlier this week and was asked for his thoughts on Pats left tackle Will Campbell, whom he saw up close and personal way back in week one (feels like a lifetime ago).
“He’s gonna be a great player in this league, I have no doubt about that," Crosby said on The Rush Podcast. "He’s got the right mindset, he’s tough as hell, he’s got great athleticism. And you've just got to go through it. As a rookie, you’re gonna have your ups and downs no matter where you're drafted. ...I think he's got a bright future. He's been a starting left tackle, and that team has made it to the Super Bowl with him starting there."
Campbell has had a rocky postseason, though Vrabel thought the rookie performed better in Denver than he had in the two weeks prior. The Pats will need even more from their first-rounder against a varied Seahawks pass rush.
- Jaylinn Hawkins went to UCal-Berkeley. He is excited to be returning to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl and told reporters to pack shorts. Two thoughts on that: 1) there were a lot of folks standing around me who haven’t seen the sun in a long time, and, quite frankly, I’d prefer it if they stuck with this pants approach. 2) Bedard better not think about busting out the speedo and try to splash around in the Pacific. That could threaten our working relationship. If you see me outside the stadium with a picket sign, you know what went down.
As for the game itself, Hawkins says Vrabel has reminded them that this is special, and while there’s work to do, “you gotta enjoy this whole process, enjoy everything that comes with it, but then at the end of the day, we have a game to play, and that's what we're there for.”