New England Patriots
“We’re seeing some big-time plays and some good quarterback play. But right now, I’m seeing too much look at one guy and go create.”
Kurt Warner has liked some of what he’s seen from Drake Maye so far this season. However, he isn’t ready to say that the young Patriots star has risen up the ranks to be considered one of the game’s better quarterbacks yet.
The Hall of Fame quarterback explained that Maye’s relying a bit too much on his improvisational skills for him to say that he’s taken the next step as a quarterback.
“I think Drake is playing some good football,” Warner said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “But right now, a little of it is a little more backyard football than solid, consistent quarterback play.
“We’re seeing some big-time plays and some good quarterback play. But right now, I’m seeing too much look at one guy and go create.”
Warner pointed to two specific plays Mayde made in the win over the Bills that he felt were “big-time” that were also a bit too much of the backyard football style. The first was the 32-yard completion to Stefon Diggs along the sideline in the third quarter. The other was Maye scrambling out of a sack before throwing a completion to Diggs for a 12-yard gain with just over two minutes left.
While Warner acknowledged those were great plays by Maye, he doesn’t think they’re sustainable for long-term success.
“That’s a tough world to live in,” Warner said of those plays. “To be a great quarterback in this league, you’ve got to be able to consistently live in the pocket when the situation dictates that, and then go create and be that special playmaker beyond that.
“They were fortunate in that game that Buffalo played as bad as they did,” Warner added.
Of course, one could retort to Warner’s assessment of Maye that many of the other top quarterbacks in the league also use improvisation for their success. But Warner believes those other quarterbacks, like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, have shown enough as pocket passers to be considered among the league’s elite.
“I’ve seen those other guys do more,” Warner said. “I’ve seen those guys win MVPs. I’ve seen those guys consistently do it for 17 games.”
Statistically, Maye has been one of the top quarterbacks in the league this season. He’s fifth in passing yards (1,261), fifth in yards per attempt (8.2), sixth in passer rating (107.8), and second in completion percentage (73.9). In advance metrics, Maye’s fifth in total expected points added (45.38), while Pro Football Focus has graded him as the 10th-best quarterback this season among players who’ve started at least three games.
In terms of play from the pocket, Maye has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. His 84.9 completion percentage in the pocket is the third-best among starting quarterbacks, and his 7.2 yards per attempt on pass from the pocket are the 11th-most in the league, per PFF.
Still, Warner would like to see more than five games’ worth of a sample size before elevating Maye as a quarterback.
“I wanna see more of Drake,” Warner said. “He’s played well this year. I just wanna see some more consistency before I crown him.”
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