New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye did not play his best game Sunday with Tom Brady back at Gillette Stadium.
With Brady calling the game from the broadcast both, Maye threw three interceptions in the Patriots’ 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Despite the rough outing, the former Patriots quarterback remains impressed by what he has seen from Maye throughout his young career.
“Been absolutely terrific,” Brady said on the Fox broadcast. “To come in here in his first year, it was a totally
different offense and it didn’t really showcase what his abilities were. Then he got Josh McDaniels in his second year who is really teaching him the cerebral part of the game. He’s orchestrating the line. He’s orchestrating the protections and the run games. Over the last two years I see the maturity. I see the willingness to know when he can change a play and when he can’t. And just his overall expectation for himself all the time.”
After a rookie season in which Maye started just 12 games, the quarterback took a significant Year 2 leap when paired with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Maye went on to break Brady’s single-season franchise record with a 72% completion rate while throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns. He finished second in MVP voting and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
His third season has featured more ups and downs. Following a slower start, Maye had operated as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks over the five weeks leading into Sunday’s matchup with Green Bay. While his overall performance has been less consistent this season, Brady has continued to notice his growth within the offense he spent much of his career in.
“When Josh would normally just bring in the game plan, he would just kind of go, ‘Hey, this is what we’re running.’ Now Drake Maye is like, ‘No, no, no, how about we put this guy in this spot and this guy in this spot?’” Brady said. “There’s much more ownership from Drake Maye. That’s the cerebral part of the game, when you have this type of quarterback that thinks his way through the game, you’re going to see a progression over time of that play continue to get better and better and better.
“I know today has been a rough game obviously with the interceptions, but he’s had a hell of a young career.”
