New England Patriots
“I think you can tell by his confidence, the way he speaks to other guys in terms of trying to work together to improve some aspect of our offense”
FOXBOROUGH — At the beginning of last season, the Patriots weren’t even sure if they could play Drake Maye behind the offensive line that they had in place.
Fast forward to year two, and Maye is a bona-fide MVP candidate. He’s not just a starter, he’s the guy. Quarterback is a position that requires leadership skills, and the Patriots wouldn’t be where they’re at without massive improvement from Maye.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was asked about what he’s seeing from Maye in terms of growth in his leadership skills on Thursday before practice.
“Quite a bit. I’d say his confidence,” McDaniels said. “He was very well aware of his standing but he also wanted to go out there and win and kind of bring that along with him. I think it’s a lot easier to lead when you’ve had success and you’ve been a significant contributor to that.”
“Everybody knew he was the quarterback, everybody loved his personality and he’s got incredible character and relationships around the building,” McDaniels added. “I think he wanted to be patient enough with that to try to have success and really try to step forward as a leader. He has done that, and I think you can tell by his confidence, the way he speaks to other guys in terms of trying to work together to improve some aspect of our offense.”
The Patriots have developed into one of the league’s most productive offenses with Maye at the helm, a stunning transformation considering that they finished in the bottom-three of the league in scoring in 2023 and 2024. They’re seventh in that category this year.
The quarterback has taken a hands-on approach to leading this turnaround, interacting with teammates consistently.
One signs of growth that stood out to McDaniels about Maye’s growth was the quarterback’s volume. McDaniels said he could tell how confident Maye was because he could hear the way he was pushing.
“He leads in the huddle, he leads out of the huddle, he leads on the sideline, in between practices,” McDaniels said. “You’ll see him after a series, sometimes I’m looking for him because he’s walking up and down the sideline and communicating with his teammates which I think is really important.”
“They need to see him, they need to feel him,” the offensive coordinator added. “I know [Mike Vrabel] is adamant about that too. He’s done a really good job of understanding his role in that. We’ve seen a lot of things grow for this young man this year and certainly as a leader it has been very impressive.”
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
