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After yet another disappointing season with a glimmer of hope in the form of quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo and hired Mike Vrabel. And Vrabel has certain standards for Maye.
Although Maye dazzled at times a year ago, giving Patriots fans some optimism amid a woeful 4-13 season, Vrabel made it abundantly clear that throwing for a lot of yards and touchdowns isn't the only thing he is looking for in Maye in Year 2.
“The expectation is that he's leading this football team,” Vrabel said on WEEI's ‘The Greg Hill Show'. “That's what the job of the head coach and the quarterback is. That's pretty much how this thing goes. And that he can't take days off.
“I mean, sometimes the performance isn't going to be extraordinary, but the leadership and the demeanor has to be. And I think he's learning that. I love the fact that he's willing to learn and push and try to do those things to where he's demanding of everybody and making sure that everybody's on the same page.”
New England drafted Maye with the third overall pick last year behind Heisman Trophy winners Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Unlike Williams or Daniels, Maye did not initially start. Instead, he sat behind veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who started the first five games of the season as the Patriots got off to a 1-4 start.
Brissett and the Pats' struggles led Mayo to change course after Week 5 and elevate Maye to starter status, which he would retain the rest of the season. Maye threw for 243 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in his first career start, a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans. The following week, he had a much cleaner game — 26-of-37 for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns — although the Patriots still lost.
As a starter, Maye completed 67% of his passes, earned an 88.9 passer rating, threw for 2,254 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and rushed for 409 yards and 2 TDs. He technically led New England to a 3-9 record, although he threw just 6 passes before leaving the game with a concussion in his first career win as a starter vs. the New York Jets, and in the final game of the season, he threw a single pass and played one series in a win over the Buffalo Bills.
In the first game of this year's preseason, Maye fumbled on the Patriots' opening drive before leading his team down the field and running in a touchdown from 5 yards out on his second and final drive of the game.
Maye and the Patriots visit Minnesota to play the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 16.
