New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye recently opened up on why he’s struggling during OTAs. The No. 3 pick in the draft is slowly being eased into the Patriots offense. He started as the QB3 on the depth chart but received QB2 reps last week.
Drake Maye has had a challenging week
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As previously discussed on GH, Mike Reiss with ESPN wrote that Maye had a rocky performance with the promotion this week:
Maye threw one red zone interception Tuesday on a play in which he and running back Antonio Gibson appeared to have a miscommunication. Safety Kyle Dugger dove to intercept a short Maye pass as Gibson stopped his route, with Maye seemingly having expected Gibson to continue cutting across the field.
And in a different drill outside of the red zone, Maye overthrew a pass to veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that was easily intercepted by undrafted rookie cornerback Kaleb Ford-Dement.
Maye later said there were a few throws he would have liked to have back and that he planned to learn from them.
Maye isn’t the only rookie quarterback going through growing pains in OTAs. Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has serious accuracy issues. Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has shown incredible arm talent, but he’s struggling to deal with pressure during team drills. He’s also having a hard time using the cadence and getting a snap.
Arguably the rookie having the best time in OTAs this spring is Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders. He had a slight hiccup during a 7-on-7 drill but has looked competent in team drills.
Maye credits the New England Patriots’ defense
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Maye thinks he knows why he’s struggling this spring. Per an update by Reiss, Maye said the Patriots’ defense is challenging to go against:
“Our defense does a great job, so we’re getting great work out here [as an offense],” Maye, the No. 3 pick of the 2024 draft, said. “A lot of different pieces. They can do a lot of different things. They do a good job disguising. They do a good job bringing different blitzes. I think that’s what makes them special.”
Jacoby Brissett doesn’t have it easy either
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Maye isn’t the only quarterback having a hard time with the Patriots defense. The defense appears to be setting the tone this spring, not giving an inch from where it was a season ago when it was one of the better units in the league.
The Patriots starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, had a hard time in the red zone this week against an elite defense:
It has shown at times in voluntary spring practices, such as Tuesday in a session open to reporters in which the defense mostly put the clamps on the offense in the red zone, notably frustrating veteran quarterback and current starter Jacoby Brissett at one point.
While the Patriots’ top two quarterbacks are having issues trying to figure out the defense, the coaching staff has their faith in Brissett. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Brissett has been exceptional during OTAs.
The Patriots’ defense will need to carry them this season. They’re off to a hot start in OTAs.
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