This could go very, very wrong for me, but here it goes ...
I wouldn't mind seeing the Patriots trailing the Jaguars on Sunday, preferably early in the second half, to help lock Drake Maye back in.
Wait, what?
Hang on, hear me out.
I already feel good about Maye going back to his native South. Sometimes, it just feels better to be back to what you're used to. For Maye, a North Carolina native, that would include the heat, sun, humidity, and that familiar Bermuda grass at Everbank Stadium. For an athlete, those sights, smells, and the feel are almost like slipping back into your childhood, or a favorite pair of well-worn shoes. It can just bring a real sense of comfort and the ability to be free.
A deficit on the scoreboard wouldn't be bad either. If that happens, Maye will be forced to drop the game-manager act that has locked his brain for the first two weeks, leaving him no choice but to make plays and let it rip.
I've seen that movie before for Maye: last season's trip to Miami, when the quarterback, surrounded by questions all week after a poor performance in a loss to the Raiders, put together his best career game to that point. It included a fast start (led 12-0, thanks to two Andy Borregales missed extra points), and a touchdown drive after trailing 20-15 late in the third quarter.
(How about this quote, considering all the talk about decisiveness this week, from Mike Vrabel about Maye's performance the day after: "Hugely efficient," Vrabel said on that Monday. "The ball went where it was supposed to go. He was decisive. I thought he did a great job of transferring up into the pocket, setting his depth, and then transferring up, being really good with the football.")
Sign me up for that script again.
I think part of the problem for Maye to this point is that he's been too focused on not losing the game, as he did in Seattle. Did you know the Patriots have led or been tied for 95% of game action this season? It's not just Maye, either. Being in striking distance (especially against the Seahawks) led Vrabel and Josh McDaniels to play more conservatively. And I don't blame them, not that it will help your fantasy (or mine; yes, I have Maye). They didn't want the Seahawks' defense and defensive line to wreck the game early in a repeat of the Super Bowl. Against the Steelers and that putrid offense, the Patriots didn't need to risk anything offensively to secure that important first victory.
But it's not a great way for Maye to play, at least as a 24-year-old. He'll probably grow into a smart game manager who can push and pull the risk level at will, but he's not there yet. And that's OK.
As we saw last season, Maye seems to need the chips down a bit to really get his juices flowing. Maye played great in an eventual comeback against the Dolphins in Week 2. In Week 3, the Steelers led 14-0, and then Maye brought the Patriots back to tie the game (before his second turnover cost them). The Panthers took an early lead in Week 4, before Maye and the Patriots put on the afterburners for a 42-13 win. Then the QB and the team made a statement in the Week 5 23-20 victory at Buffalo ... when the team trailed midway through the third quarter.
I understand there's a lot of consternation and questions about the offense, namely why McDaniels and Maye aren't being more aggressive, at least compared to some teams.
This will continue until the Patriots reach a place where