FOXBORO — It’s been a promising, if imperfect, summer for Patriots quarterback Drake Maye entering his second NFL season.
Maye has addressed some of his turnover issues this summer, especially in practice, and he still displays an intriguing skill set with his mobility, precision and big arm. But head coach Mike Vrabel came away with teachable moments from Week 2 of the preseason, when Maye went 4-of-7 for 46 yards with a dropped interception.
Maye threw high to wide receiver DeMario Douglas in the Patriots’ first offensive drive. The ball bounced off Douglas’ hands directly to Vikings safety Tavierre Thomas, who couldn’t make the interception.
“I think that we have to be able to connect on passes like the one to Pop (Douglas), making sure that both the receiver and the quarterback are on the same page and that the ball placement is where it needs to be,” Vrabel said Monday. “I would say the tipped balls, especially ones that are over the middle of the field or towards the middle of the field, are going to end up intercepted. He’s continuing to improve and continuing to help us. I like where he’s at, it’s just we’ve got to fix that.
“We talked to him about not taking a senseless hit outside the pocket on second-and-ten. If there’s nobody there, throw it away, and we’ll try to convert on third down. Just being smart and understanding those little details.”
Maye also took a delay of game penalty immediately after his near-interception.
The young quarterback, who was selected third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, said he might have been too amped up for the beginning of the game, leading to high throws. He’s said similar things in the past about early mistakes in games.
“Again, the personality or whatever they’re feeling, that’s up to them,” Vrabel said. “I think that the performance and the mentality and how we want to play the game has to be the same. So, whatever they want to feel, they’re more than welcome to feel. We just need to make sure that we execute and that we’re taking command of the huddle and that we’re operating at a high level. Some guys are going to be more amped than others as their own personal approach to the game.”
Maye is 7-of-12 for 58 yards through two preseason games though he’s performed better in joint practices with the Commanders and Vikings.
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